


Blood is Always Thicker

by MiceAndIce



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Anxiety, Canon-Typical Violence, Change in Fate, Everyone Has Issues, Everything is Messed Up, Family Feels, Family Issues, Gen, Insecurity, Loyalty, Paranoia, Politics, Self-Hatred, personal issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-09-22 08:13:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9595505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiceAndIce/pseuds/MiceAndIce
Summary: Xander is not the powerful Crown Prince of Nohr he is meant to be; he never had the chance to grow from his boyhood self. As time would tell, no amount of training would ever strengthen his brittle body. Camilla has taken the bow in the meantime, and Elise tries to be swift and clean with her axe. Leo bears the responsibilities his brother could not handle, and Corrin sits pretty in her ivory tower.The turmoil of this family does not need a war thrown into the mix.AU where the Nohrian family's fate (ha - see what I did there) is flipped upside down.





	1. Xander

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an idea I've been sitting on for some time. I started writing this about 3 months ago. It has 22k words so far and I'm expecting to write a lot more, but still expect updates to be slow. I don't have any romance in this as it is, but if you guys would want to see some, I'm thinking about maybe adding some.

Blood coats Xander’s fingers; fear speeds the thoughts in his mind to an almost incoherent blur. Despite this flurry, his usefulness in this situation grounds him and lets him continue his work. He waves a staff over the convulsing body in front of him and does what he can to keep it alive. The wound on the neck spurts blood at odd intervals; the magic is working, though not fast enough and perhaps not well enough to completely close the injury.

This is no battle or attack; shame couples Xander’s fear at the situation, but it is surely nothing compared to what the boy in front of him feels. Death from a simple training accident would be a pathetic end to any warrior’s life.

Xander hears voices growing louder and nearer, and quickly enough he is pushed out of the way to make room for a more experienced healer. The bleeding boy’s training partner has finally come back with help. Xander watches the rest of the situation unfold: he takes note of the techniques the healer uses, sees the panic on the boy’s face next to him relax into mere worry, and sees the neck wound close shut, only an ugly scar left behind. The healer needs blood to replace what the body has lost, and Xander leaves with the other boy as he runs to get supplies – the prince has nothing to offer, so he returns to his room.

The blood on his hands is sticky and drying; he cannot imagine what it would be like to be drenched in the liquid. He shudders to think of his littlest sister, sweet Elise, on the battlefield, axe in hand and her blonde hair stained pink and then red. He takes water from the washbowl in hand, but the blood is difficult to erase – the color clings to his skin in the same way one’s failures cling to one’s thoughts.

Xander washes his hands roughly, scratching his skin and pressing his fingers into his flesh. It takes his mind away from Elise – out in the country, crushing a rebellion for Father – and lets him forget that it should be him in the field. He focuses on the pain and closes his eyes, but soon enough his quiet is interrupted by a knock on his door.

He says nothing and after a moment, the door opens; Xander opens his eyes and sees purple, and he knows it is Camilla. She stands in the bedroom doorway, waiting for Xander to acknowledge her. He nods at her and she turns around.

“Father wants to see us,” she says, and she leads the way to the throne room. Xander follows, not bothering to ask why, and as he follows his sister, he wishes he was more like her. Camilla is less of a disappointment in the family and more of a shame, with her beautiful hair tied up away from her face and her bow secured to her back with a strap around her shoulder. Xander has seen the looks the nobility in the court throw at Camilla, and he cannot understand their haughtiness; in his sister’s bared, ugly scar he sees confidence and power, and in her choice of weapon he sees adaptability and resilience.

They arrive at the throne room, and Xander catches himself in his thoughts. Is it pathetic for the eldest prince to admire his younger sister? He knows he should be the one the people look up to, the one his family looks up to, a leader for the Nohrian army, but he is weak and tired and cannot command.

He notices Camilla has stopped moving and is watching him, and a pang of fear goes through his chest. Does she expect him to knock on the throne room door? Only at this moment does he realize his siblings and escorts are often the ones announcing their arrival and opening the door, and shame fills him at his paralysis in the face of such a simple predicament. He should not be afraid of Father, but the man has changed over the years, and any day could be the day King Garon decides it was a mistake to keep his eldest child alive. Xander searches for his voice but cannot find it.

Camilla understands the plea in his eyes and graciously goes to open the door without commenting on her brother’s weakness. Xander recognizes the disappointment in her eyes despite her kindness, and embarrassment colors his cheeks red.

“Father! Xander and I have come like you asked,” Camilla announces as she enters the room, and Xander follows her close behind. Garon is sitting on his throne with Iago to his right when they enter. The contrast between the two men is starling to newcomers seeing them together, but the royal siblings have seen them often enough to not be affected.

A sense of royalty and power clings to the man they call Father. It emanates from his being in the way he holds himself proud and in the stern wrinkles on his face, betraying years of anger and cruelty; the elegance of his robes and golden traces on his black armor only add to his aura. The man besides him, on the other hand, has the appearance of the personification of a rat – not the creatures themselves, for they are quite sweet, but for the dirtiness and cowardice they inspire in many. He is tall and lanky, made extreme by his proximity to the bulk and muscle of King Garon.

The King has a thoughtful expression on his face while Iago’s betrays some sense of anger. The prince and princess have interrupted a conversation between the two of them, and Xander feels dread alongside his previous fear at the sight of the royal advisor. The man turns to sneer at the prince as though reading his thoughts.

“There’s been a rumor around the castle that the crown prince botched a healing so bad that even one of the best Nohrian butlers could not cleanly close the wound after taking over.” Iago says the words as if to the air, and Camilla narrows her eyes as she sees the man pointedly look at the King. Xander cannot deny that his spell work is not the best, but heat builds in his chest at the insinuation that he created a bigger problem than what originally existed. The heat, however, is weaker than the coldness of fear gripping his throat and mind, so he stays silent. Garon looks over the faces in his presence, and when he speaks, his voice is loud and strong.

“Xander has improved greatly since he started. There is worth in having a healer in the family,” he directs the last statement at Iago, and the man averts his gaze in response. Xander dares to look at his father in this rare moment of what could be considered praise, and Garon addressed him pointedly when they make eye contact. “Continue improving, Xander. Do not disappoint me more than you already have.”

There is the familiar jab of shame visiting Xander’s body when his father speaks, but he focuses on the hope Garon provides him: continue improving, his mind echoes. He can be useful; he can do something. Before Xander can collect himself and respond, Garon is speaking again.

“Go to the Northern Fortress and visit your sister. Corrin’s maids have informed me that she is restless and wants to see family. Camilla, give Corrin some lessons in fighting.” Camilla nods and fingers the strap connected to her bow, and Xander notices Iago’s raised eyebrow and downturned lips at the action. Garon pauses in his instructions as he turns to look at his son, and Xander knows that his father is trying to find a use for him.

“Xander.”

“Yes, Father?”

“Make certain Corrin is happy.”

 

~

 

Camilla and Xander ride through the forest on two beautiful horses; their retainers follow and lead at a respectful distance, keeping watch for danger. Xander sees the huge smile brightening his sister’s face, and her happiness infects his mood and lets him shake off the fright from being near the royal advisor he knows wants to be rid of him.

They do not speak while riding to the castle, electing to instead spend some time alone with their thoughts. The sky is dark like it always is in Nohr, but Xander finds it calming rather than depressing; it speaks of safety and protection, and the smooth blackness of the sight overhead reminds him of the elegant gowns his mother wore. The thought brings both a heavy sadness and a comforting joy, and he focuses on the good parts of the memories to keep Camilla happy. His sister is far too perceptive and empathetic to her family, Xander thinks, and she somehow always knows when Xander sinks into depressing thoughts.

He thinks about his father’s instructions to him: affirming Corrin’s happiness. It was an odd demand for his father to make; that would be the countrymen’s judgement, but Xander knows better. King Garon’s reputation is one known for a swiftness in punishment and cruelty to Nohr’s enemies, but the prince knows firsthand the love that the King has for his family and people. He is not surprised that his father entrusted him with his sister, and judging by Camilla’s lack of comment on the subject, she is likely not surprised either.

Xander is alive today because of his mother and his parents’ love, and he is reminded of that fact nearly every day. The royal court grew hostile towards Xander after his many failures and expressions of weakness, and they wanted to be rid of the royal Nohrian embarrassment. He ran out of breath too quickly when fighting, his bones broke under relatively little force, he did not have the will to stand his ground when confronted in an argument. He was a shame to the whole country. Branches from the tress around him scratch his skin as he passes, and Xander is fine with the pain.

He then notices Camilla taking glances at him, and he smiles at her and refocuses his thoughts. The wind howls through the trees, and he remembers hearing his mother plead with his father for a promise of loyalty in the face of affairs and illegitimate children. Branches reach for his hair and clothes as his horse gallops towards Corrin, and in the branches, he sees his mother’s arms embracing him and feels her protection. The Northern Fortress comes into view, and by the powerful stone structure, the prince is reminded of the way his father’s axe looked when it was raised against a man who struck Xander.

Corrin is waiting at the gates, and when Xander sees her smile, a fire blazes in his heart. He wants to protect her the way he was protected; he wants her to feel love with the strength that he feels it. Xander sees Selena, a bright though angry young woman serving as one of Camilla’s retainers, run by to catch her mistress’s horse; Camilla has already jumped from the beast to run to Corrin and embrace her in a hug.

Xander approaches the two of them in time for them to disentangle their limbs, and Corrin launches herself at her brother the very moment he dismounts his steed. Arms are wrapped around his waist, squeezing as tight as they can, and all he can do is return the hug.

“Corrin,” Xander sighs a moment later. He wants to let his sister embrace him as long as she wants, but her arms are stronger than he remembers. “Corrin, please, you’re hurting me.”

Corrin jumps back as though electrocuted, and Xander’s face flushes red at how concerned his sister looks: her eyebrows furrowed, mouth agape, eyes wide, and hand reaching up to cover her mouth.

“I’m sorry, Xander! I didn’t break any of your bones, did I?” Her voice nearly sounds panicked.

Xander can only hear Camilla’s laugh as he covers his face in embarrassment.

 

~

 

Exhausted after dodging Camilla’s swift arrows, Corrin, asleep and quiet, leans against Xander in a library in the fortress. They sit on a plush sofa, adorned in patterns and fabric worthy only of Nohrian royalty, and Xander does not notice Camilla enter the room as he absentmindedly plays with Corrin’s silver hair. He admires the color and the way it shines in the candlelight; the color is not common in Nohr, and as Xander tucks a wayward strand behind Corrin’s ear, he hopes that it is rare in Hoshido as well.

A movement he notices in the corner of his eye nearly gives him a fright, but his tense body loosens when he notices it is only Camilla. He laughs quietly at his thoughts, keeping his voice soft as to not wake his sleeping sister.

“Something funny?” Camilla asks as she sits down next to Corrin’s sleeping form. The younger girl shifts slightly, sensing the movement of the fabric she lays on, but she remains asleep. Xander stays still as Camilla wraps her arms around Corrin and pulls her closer to herself.

“I did not notice your arrival. When I saw you, I was comforted by you being ‘only Camilla.’” He sighs and Camilla cocks her head slightly, both to more comfortably cuddle with Corrin and to question Xander. “How many people in the kingdom would be relieved to have the silent figure in front of them be the princess Camilla?”

His sister stays silent and begins to pet Corrin’s hair. She considers the nearby candle as though the flames would provide her with a response to copy, but the fire speaks to neither her nor Xander. After a few moments, she turns her head to examine her brother.

“Maybe you should be frightened of me,” she says, and Xander does not know where this statement is coming from. His eyebrows furrow in confusion, and Camilla stretches an arm away from Corrin to lay her hand atop Xander’s hand resting nearby. “Iago has been planting hints to me and Leo in our lessons that we should get rid of you. He gives us lectures on how the weak are unnecessary and how one rotten fruit can spoil the whole bunch.”

Xander is not surprised at Iago’s intentions – they have never been fond of each other, and Iago has always been one of the loudest voices in the court advocating for Xander’s disappearance – but he is surprised by his lack of emotions at the words. There is no anger or even fear, but when Camilla smiles at him for reassurance, he does not feel happy either.

“We love you too dearly to let anything happen to you, Xander, remember that,” Camilla says, and her voice goes from serious to joking in the next moment. “Besides, I desire the crown as much as I desire to be away from Corrin, and Leo would be more efficient to eliminate Elise rather than you.” There was an unspoken understanding that Leo would never harm Elise; she was the star and hope of the Nohrian royal family, and even if he did not love her, worse consequences would come from her death than good ones.

The mentions of his need for protection and irrelevancy in regards to the crown stabs at his gut though he appreciates the sentiment in Camilla’s words. He will never forget the outrage of the court at the idea that he would be the crown prince, and the even more intense backlash at his father’s decision that the Nohrian tradition of crowning the eldest son would be abandoned. The possibility of a lone queen ruling Nohr shocked a great many citizens, and still others were upset over what they considered was Garon’s willy-nilly bending of long established and accepted rules.

Father had eliminated loud voices of criticism swiftly, and the quieter voices were silenced by their own accord. The fate of the crown is still uncertain, with Leo and Elise in the running and Xander completely ignored. Camilla is an interesting case for those interested in the politics of the court, as she is the second eldest and is greatly admired for her strength and ruthlessness that runs in the same vein as her father. Her choice of weapon raises eyebrows all over Nohr however, and Camilla herself has expressed distaste at the concept of ruling the country.

“Xander?” The prince snaps out of his musings at the sound of a sleepy voice, and the two eldest siblings notice that Corrin is awake. She seems to not have realized that she had fallen asleep on Xander and woken up leaning against Camilla; perhaps she simply does not care as this happens with a frequency that is difficult to keep up with.

“Yes, Corrin?” Xander wonders how long the girl has been awake, and he notices that Camilla has not stopped petting the silver hair.

“I want to ask you something,” she says but doesn’t continue speaking. Xander waits, thinking Corrin is simply collecting her thoughts after waking up as the girl usually is not one to hesitate in satisfying her curiosity. The silence stretches for an almost awkward length of time however, and it is Camilla who breaks the silence.

“What is it, dear?” Corrin stays silent for another moment, and when Xander looks at her closely, he notices a faint blush on her cheeks.

“This might be a stupid question. It probably is stupid. Don’t laugh at me, okay?” Corrin speaks quickly, and Xander feels as though he is about to be questioned by Iago. The dread is silly - he knows that - but Corrin hesitating to ask a question is unusual in itself, and Xander does not perform well in spontaneous situations.

“Xander, are you a girl?” Corrin asks, and it takes a moment for the question to register in Xander’s mind. When it finally does, his face blushes a deep red.

“What?” He is amazed at how calm he sounds, though his heart starts beating fast and he cannot believe that his manliness is being questioned. Yes, he is a failure in many respects of being a man in Nohrian culture, but surely he is not that far gone.

Camilla meanwhile looks deep in thought and is the only one of the three of them to not seem affected by the question.

“What makes you ask that, Corrin?” Camilla’s question is not spoken in a mocking manner, and this seems to encourage Corrin to press on and explain. Xander wants to cover his face, but he stops himself from hiding.

“The weapons made by the Rainbow Sage, they’re passed down from father to son in our family, right?” Corrin starts hesitantly, and at Camilla’s nod she continues speaking. The girl often does this when talking to others, Xander has noticed; she spends much time reading in the Fortress to relieve her boredom, but more than once Corrin has found the information she knows to be outdated. Her naivety is part of Corrin’s charm to many, but it is evidently a weakness as well.

“And the crown is passed to the eldest son?” She asks it like a question, but there’s more certainty in her voice. The history books she has read cannot be outdated by their very nature, and she knows there have been few ruling Nohrian queens and none in recent times.

“Traditionally, yes.” Camilla chooses her words carefully, and she stores away the way Corrin asked her question to the back of her mind. What have the servants told Corrin about the political situation outside of the fortress? Camilla would not necessarily fault them for not educating the girl on a situation that is still developing and not directly affecting the locked away girl, but ignorance on the subject could land Corrin in some hot water if she is ever allowed to leave her cage.

“Leo has Siegfried. Leo is always saying he cannot visit again or play because of his responsibilities as a prince. Nobody ever talks about Xander’s responsibilities. Xander is the oldest though.” Corrin explains the rest of her thought process as though it were obvious: short statements without any linking logic since she feels they are sufficient on their own and that her siblings are smart enough to understand her implications. She has confidence in how she’s speaking now, and she ends without any dramatic flair: “why?”

Corrin is too sweet and innocent to pick up on the way her statements hit Xander: with each sentence, he grows more rigid and tense, and the blush never leaves his face. He is reminded of all the ways he has failed at his birthright, and all the problems he has caused for the authority of the king and the respect of the nation. There is a lump in his throat that he cannot dislodge, and his voice dies in his chest like it often does.

Camilla saves him once again, and Corrin turns to look at her sister as she speaks; she does not see the shame painted on Xander’s face.

“Father is reforming the court. Birth does not always define ability, and he has recognized this as King and decided to change how the Nohrian system works. It ensures that there’s always someone strong and able leading our country,” Camilla has not dropped the thoughtful expression on her face, and with her next words there is a brightness in her eyes that betrays her excitement. “Even you might be Queen one day, Corrin.”

Camilla’s words to Corrin strike Xander so strongly that he forgets his shame for a moment. Corrin, the Queen of Nohr? He looks at his sister, questions written all over his face. King Garon has been partial to his family and bent many rules for them, but surely the royal court would violently put their feet down in the face of Garon’s wrath and rebel if a kidnapped Hoshidan princess was crowned Queen of Nohr. As though sensing Xander’s confusion despite not turning her eyes away from Corrin, Camilla explains.

“You are very intelligent and well-read, and your skill in battle is remarkable considering you have only ever sparred against teachers and friends. If you continue to train as you do, I’m certain you will surpass my skill. You have charisma and a kind heart as well, and though the latter is viewed as a detriment in our court, I believe Nohr needs a new kind of leadership if we are ever to grow past what we are now,” Camilla is almost musing at this point and has gone back to petting Corrin’s hair. There is an exchanged look between Xander and Corrin as they consider Camilla’s remarks, and they both seem to come to the same conclusion: it is a nice idea, though silly. Corrin knows she is naïve and ill-informed about the outside world, and Xander knows that she is not a true Nohrian.

There is silence as they each drift off to their own thoughts, sleepy in the candlelight and surrounding darkness. Xander thinks Corrin has fallen back asleep after some minutes, but she breaks the silence as he is about to get up and leave to find one of Corrin’s servants.

“So Xander _is_ a boy?” She questions, and though it is clearly nothing more than a statement of affirmation, the fact that it is a question at all makes the heat rise in Xander’s cheeks again. Camilla lets out a quiet chuckle and answers as Xander stands up and goes to leave.

“Of course he is, darling.”

 

~

 

Xander is reading a spell book that Felicia, a sprightly young woman he ran into recently but has seen around the Fortress over the years, has given him when Corrin approaches him later the next day. The maid is awfully clumsy though sweet, and he is not surprised that Garon has moved her from Castle Krankenburg to the Northern Fortress; it is, after all, the same reason he is here now.

The distraction provided by Corrin is one that Xander gladly takes as he does not think he can stand to spend another minute deciphering the scrawled notes all over the book – it must have been passed around to all the new servants, each of them writing reminders to themselves; it would explain how they all have at least a somewhat decent grasp of healing magics. Looking up, Xander sees his sister in the lightweight garments that are her training clothes. Beads of sweat collect on Corrin’s brow, and there’s a hardly perceptible irregularity to her breathing.

“Did Camilla go easy on you today?” Xander closes the book in his hands and sets it aside. Corrin sticks her tongue out at him as she swipes her arm across her forehead to wipe off the sweat.

“Of course not. When does Camilla ever go easy on anybody?” There is a streak of red above the girl’s eye now, and Xander’s attention goes from it down to the source: there is a cut on Corrin’s arm, bleeding slightly, though she does not seem to have noticed in her fatigue.

“You’re hurt.” With that said, Xander’s suspicions are confirmed: Corrin’s eyes widen when she notices the nick in her skin – likely from an arrow she was not fast enough to avoid completely – and Xander motions for her to follow him to a room he knows has some spare concoctions that can help. As they walk, Xander notices his sister isn’t as lively as she normal is: she walks silently, eyes downcast, mouth set in a grim line.

“The wound looks superficial. Do not worry about it.” Corrin hums in response but doesn’t say anything else. It is not the cut causing the problem then. After another few moments of walking in silence, which is uncharacteristic for Corrin - never mind her sulky expression - Xander tries again.

“Is something on your mind?” he says and the girl finally looks directly at him.

“I know you were embarrassed by my question the other day,” she says, and Xander is already fighting down the blush from the reminder. “I am sorry for that.”

Corrin doesn’t say more than that, but Xander can tell that there is still something on her mind. She is still quiet, but if she does not want to discuss whatever is on her mind, Xander isn’t going to push her.

“Thank you, Corrin.” It feels a bit silly to be apologized to about something so ridiculous, but it is better to acknowledge his sister’s kindness than to push it aside. They arrive at their destination and Xander sets to work giving Corrin the concoction and cleaning the cut before covering it. As he works, Xander notices the way his sister is shifting forward as if to address him but then moving back as though there was nothing she intended to do. It is a very subtle motion, noticeable to Xander only because he is so close to Corrin, and again he wonders if he should prompt Corrin to speak about what troubles her.

“Xander.” The sound of his sister’s voice is a slight relief to the prince; waiting for her to possibly say something every time she moved had begun to fray his nerves, silly as the actions were. There is no time to silently berate himself for his nervousness before Corrin is speaking again.

“Were you embarrassed yesterday because I suggested you were something you weren’t or because I suggested you were a woman?” The grim expression has turned to a more thoughtful one on Corrin’s face, and at first Xander does not understand what she is asking. There is silence as he thinks, and when the pieces click in his mind he hopes he sounds as sincere as he is.

“Corrin, there is nothing wrong with being a woman.” Xander realizes as he is speaking that he has avoided her question, and his sister is not oblivious to the fact either. Despite his dodge, she smiles at him, but Xander does not feel right receiving it.

“Thank you, Xander.” Her response sounds sincere to his ears, and he cannot tell if the hollowness he senses is there or if it is just his imagination and projections. Corrin starts to leave, but Xander grabs her arm before she can completely turn away. His fingers meet muscle and strength that he does not expect in his little sister, and it startles him enough to force him to recollect his thoughts. He remembers something he’s been wanting to ask for some time now, and when he looks at Corrin’s face, he sees nothing but questions.

“Corrin, are you happy here?” The question hangs in the air between them, and Corrin does not withdraw her arm from her brother’s grasp. She looks to the side, breaking eye contact, as though she has never considered the concept of her happiness here before. The longer she is silent, the more Xander feels as though he has failed her. After an agonizing minute, Corrin finds her answer.

“I have a lot of time to think here, and I read much though I do not know what is true outside this fortress. There is not much to do, and though I love Felicia, Flora, Jakob, and Gunter, seeing the same people does get tiring. I train often, but I don’t know what for.” She pauses in her explanations, searching for the right words to say what she feels. “I don’t think I know what happiness is. My emotions are stunted here. There are not many highs nor lows. I am bored often.”

Xander understands Corrin’s words though he cannot relate to her feelings, and he must consider how he will respond. There are no remedies he can think of that would not need Father’s explicit permission, and he does not want to fill his sister’s head with empty promises.

“I want to leave the fortress.” There is a brightness in Corrin’s eyes at that statement, and Xander realizes that this is what has been the heaviest burden on her mind. Warmth blooms like a flower in his chest in response to her trust, but icy thorns of doubt keep it in check. She has confided her feelings in him, but Xander doesn’t know how to fix the problem. She should have told Camilla her burdens, he thinks; Camilla is always quick to respond.

“I don’t know if you can yet,” he finally says. He repays her honesty with his own honesty. He is used to being a failure, but he will not betray her trust at the very least. Corrin does not hesitate in responding to his doubt, and it tells Xander everything he needs to know about how desperately she wants this.

“Can’t you ask Father? I haven’t seen him in so long. Doesn’t he love his family?”

“Of course he does.” Xander does not hesitate in his response either, and he sees Corrin’s eyes widen slightly at his unwavering belief in their father. It is understandable that Corrin would have doubts after being isolated for so long, but Xander knows there is a reason for everything their father does even if he doesn’t understand it. He thinks about Corrin’s request as he considers the implications of what Corrin has said, and he realizes that simply asking Father might just work. Xander’s entire purpose in coming here was to make certain Corrin was happy. She is not, and the solution is simple: give her time away from the Northern Fortress.  Father would likely want to see Corrin anyway; it has been a long time since the family has been together like Corrin has said, and King Garon loves his children.

“I will ask,” Xander says after some moments of thought, and he is nearly knocked out of breath when his sister hugs him with just a bit too much force in her excitement. Corrin realizes her mistake when she hears her brother gasp, and when she steps back, Xander sees that her smile is lighting up her whole face like it does any other day. Receiving this smile is nothing like receiving the last one, and Xander is left wondering if he has done something right for once.

“Thank you so much, Xander!” Her genuine joy is a bit too much for Xander, especially since he has not even asked yet let alone received any sort of approval from Father. He runs a hand through his curls and coughs to clear his throat.

A distant crashing sound draws their attention away from the conversation and towards the hallway. Corrin is running to the source without another moment’s notice, and after a moment of deliberation, Xander decides to follow. The least he can do to thank Felicia for letting him borrow her spell book is help her when she destroys what sounded like every single plate in the Northern Fortress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What brought this fic into existence? I really like Xander's character, and it was always interesting to me how he was shy and weak as a child, but then grew into his role as the crown prince. I started thinking, "What if he had problems that didn't let him get stronger?" and then I started wondering about the other siblings' lives being flipped. Elise as a strong warrior; Camilla using the weapon that is her canon self's weakness; etc. etc. I've also been thinking a lot about families and gender roles recently, so as you saw by this opening chapter, I'll probably sprinkle some thoughts throughout this fic about that. I'm actually pretty proud of what I have so far, so I hope I can bring myself to finish this and post the other chapters at a reasonable time.


	2. Camilla

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left a comment and kudos! It is very motivational and helps me convince myself I'm not totally wasting my time when I write stuff like this instead of studying, haha. Also, thank you for being so kind; I get so anxious when I see a comment and hope it isn't hate :P

Camilla rides home without Xander, having been called back before him to deal with some problems with the royal wyverns. The stable boys are always too rough with the beasts, and they get rowdy when left to their own devices for too long. Camilla will never understand why the servants have such a difficult time handling the sweet creatures; to be fair, Camilla knows that the servants will never understand how she can see the wyverns as “sweeties.” Agree to disagree, as it is. Two of the wyverns escaped during Camilla’s brief absence and are causing havoc on nearby farms, and the princess was informed by dear Iago that if she did not capture the beasts herself, they would have to be put down by a dispatched group of soldiers. As she is informed, Nohr cannot afford to lose what little food is growing to the anger of rowdy beasts.

She takes a horse from the Northern Fortress to Krankenburg Castle for the simple fact that there is no place to hold her beauties in the Fortress – a shame, really. The travel time to her darling pets and her trip to her lovely Corrin could be cut in half if she could only take her wyvern. Alas, Camilla is left with too much time to think as she rides home and away from her sweet sister. There is no use fretting over the wyverns until she can be close enough to do something about them, so her mind turns to other matters.

She thinks about Corrin’s training and about how she can improve: her sister is still not quick enough for Camilla’s standards, and if Camilla wasn’t purposefully aiming just a bit too far to the left and a bit too far to the right, Corrin would have had much more substantial injuries than any she has sustained during the visit. Still, though, Corrin is remarkably strong and resilient; she can hold her own in a fight, and there is still a potential for skill in magic in the girl.

Her sister’s progress and success is a stark contrast to Camilla’s memories of Xander’s training. Camilla was still too young to be in training herself all those years ago, and watching Xander had frightened her and dramatically changed her expectations for what it would be like when she would start fighting. Her brother had always been so tired and hurting during those days when everyone still expected greatness hiding in his body. She still remembers the day she found him struggling to breathe from fear in his room; her mother had sent her there to make the crown prince irrelevant in the battle for the throne, but seeing him like that sparked the first feelings of protectiveness in Camilla that came to be a core component of who she was. The tears she saw that day told her what it would take the court another year to find out: Xander would never be King.

Camilla wonders if there is an illness in Xander’s maternal side of the family that left his body so fragile and his voice so meek. The princess remembers how Queen Katerina would occasionally sway on her feet and how quiet her soft-spoken voice was: her mother always pointed it out, explaining to Camilla how to find and take advantage of people’s weaknesses.

A strand of her purple hair falls into her face, and Camilla shakes her head, both letting herself forget her thoughts and getting the pesky hair out of her vision. The sound of a roar attracts her attention, and looking to the sky, she sees black wings blocking her view of the clouds.

She recognizes the tremor in the cry, and there’s a distinct scar running down the beast’s left hind leg; Camilla knows the battle it received the injury from, and she kicks at her horse to change her destination. Father doesn’t require her presence immediately; she can calm her sweet wyverns and bring them home before anybody realizes she even left the Fortress.

 

~

 

Drawstring pulled back, Camilla lets her arrow fly, and it hits its target dead on: the Faceless emits a guttural cry. Before it can recover and close the distance between her and the monster, Camilla swiftly cocks another arrow and eliminates the danger in front of her. Training in these forests of darkness and muck was one of the simplest way to let off some steam without causing any casualties that could potentially affect political maneuverings.

Another disgusting gurgle sounds to Camilla’s right, and she has just enough time to turn and step back to let another arrow fly; the ugly Faceless cannot manage to land a blow with its swinging fists in the time it takes for the arrow to be lodged in its head. Camilla laughs as it careens backwards, and she thinks this would only be better if she were riding on her wyvern.

She had managed to track down her babies as she took a few detours to the castle, and with her coos and some careful warning shots of her bow, she had brought them under control. The wyverns listened to her as both a show of loyalty and fear; Camilla knew how to tame beasts like them, and even their animalistic minds understood there would be consequences if they ignored the princess. Iago had seemed disappointed when she rode home with the wyverns following her, but Camilla does not care about what Iago thinks. If she cared about anything involving that dirty fellow, she would be a different person entirely.

Camilla aims her bow at another Faceless she has found, pretending its head is that of the royal advisor suggesting terrible and nasty things about her siblings. Every arrow meets its mark, thumping soundly against the monstrous flesh and filling Camilla’s chest with satisfaction. The princess can go on for hours like this, practicing with her bow, and she has done exactly that on previous occasions, especially when she practices with Corrin. The hidden strength of the bow thrills her; it appears so easy to draw a bow, but only when one attempts to do it themselves is the necessary power to do so revealed.

Many fools in the court think Camilla keeps her hair tied up for fashion; she lets them keep that assumption because their ignorance is their weakness: if they knew a stray arrow feather could tear wayward hair from the skull, they would be far wearier of Camilla’s choice in weapon. From what Camilla has heard, many in the castle think she merely has a passing fancy for silly Hoshidan weapons for their style.

“Surely,” the common consensus among the people says, “she will realize her foolishness and pick up a hearty axe in a few years’ time.” Camilla might very well train herself in the bloody art of splitting skulls – she knows her strengths and it would be a very useful skill – but she knows she will not abandon the bow. She has adored it since she first saw it in that Hoshidan trading caravan all those years ago, and her passion has only grown for it since.

Funnily enough, she had first purchased a bow as a gift for Xander. It was a time when the servants were beginning to gossip about her brother’s embarrassing training sessions, and only a few weeks had passed since Camilla found him crying. The Hoshidan caravan was the first she had ever seen in Nohrian borders, and she was curious enough to examine the merchandise. There were dozens of articles of clothing, many of which she had no idea how to wear or even what body parts they were supposed to cover, but the thing that had caught her attention was a golden bow among all the clothes. She had seen some criminals in Nohr use weapons that looked like it, but this one looked far more special than the tattered sticks and string she had previously seen. The merchant had noticed how her eyes were drawn to it, and he had begun to sell it to her.

“Ah, I see you have taken an interest in the yumi. It’s the real thing, straight from Hoshido.” The pitch was one that often worked on rich folk in any nation; the nobles and wealthy always wanted something fancy and exotic to show off to their friends. Camilla had no interest in those frivolous games of show-and-tell, and if her sigh didn’t tell the merchant she didn’t care, then the way her eyes began to shift away from the product certainly did. “This particular yumi is designed to be more decorative than functional, but it can still be used for some simple target practice. Fairly decent for a beginner as well.”

The words set a spark in Camilla’s mind, and she considered the bow again. Xander was having difficulties with both swords and offensive magic; perhaps a new style of fighting could give him something to work with? A little girl with dark hair had darted around the caravan, and the man speaking to Camilla had hushed her away; he knew he was on the verge of a sale if the thoughtful look in Camilla’s eyes was anything to go on.

“Would you like to hold it?” With a nod of her head, the bow was placed into Camilla’s hands, and she ran her fingers across it and pulled on the string. The amount of force she needed to draw it concerned her slightly for Xander’s sake, but she decided it was worth a shot.

Besides, if Xander didn’t like it, she could surely keep the beautiful weapon for herself. Money exchanged hands and a quiver of arrows was thrown into the deal, and Camilla was off to show her brother her purchase. As it turned out, Xander had neither the strength to continuously draw the bow nor the ability to aim accurately, but he still expressed gratitude to his sister for the consideration.

Camilla remembers the ensuing drama that she would have never expected from such a simple purchase; it is yet another experience that has made her grown distasteful to the play of politics and the games of the court. When Camilla was first seen using the bow, it had raised some eyebrows, but nobody had acted to stop her. One day during a training session with Gunter, Camilla had decided to bring out her bow and use it in her official training rather than leave it for her personal time.

“We can’t have the Nohrian family using the tools of outlaws and Hoshidans!” She remembers Iago’s outrage and report to the King. “I know I speak for many in Nohr when I say it would be a disgrace to have a princess of Nohr behave in such a way.”

Similar complaints had been filtered to her father through other servants and nobles, but Iago had been the brashest in his meeting with Garon. As the advisor, he had a more secure place in voicing such concerns, but it still shocks Camilla to this day how adamant he was in speaking his mind that day; he risked his position with the way he spoke. Camilla understood the hatred against Hoshidans and their ways of living, but this was a weapon that they could use for their advantage; she was still young at the time, however, and was not sure how to word her objections, so she remained silent. King Garon was quiet for a long while as well. When he finally spoke, his voice was deeper than Camilla ever remembers it being, and thinking back now, she assumes it was because his children’s behaviors were weighing heavily on his mind. His eldest son was a failure, his eldest daughter was being affiliated with Hoshidan products, his current wife’s daughter was being ostracized, and his other son was known to avoid trainings in favor of reading books. Camilla remembers thinking of her father as cold when she was a child, but with the perspective that comes with time and maturity, she does not blame him for sounding tired.

“Let her be.” She remembers her father finally saying. “I understand your objections, Iago. It will do us more good than harm to allow Camilla to train herself in the bow. She evidently has a natural talent for it, and many of Hoshido’s greatest warriors are nothing in the face of an arrow for they depend on those Pegasus of theirs. Are we going to put the fate of our soldiers in the face of these flying enemies in the hands of outlaws? It is wise to for a princess as powerful as Camilla to target a great weakness of theirs.”

Iago did not appear satisfied with the response and left the throne room after being dismissed with his brows furrowed and mouth turned downwards, but in time he managed to grow neutral at the very least to Camilla’s use of the bow. Many nobles in the court followed suit, and though Camilla’s decisions are certainly not praised, she is no longer looked down upon. Several dead pegasi at her hands does wonders for earning the respect of Nohrians.

She wonders if that merchant ever realized he had made his sale to a Nohrian princess, and if so, if he regrets trading in Nohr that day.

She lets loose another arrow at yet another Faceless in the forest, and it goes down with a convulsing motion of its body. Camilla breathes heavily, exhausted after how long she has been training for, and looking at the sky, she sees twinkling stars and a shining moon above her. It is easy to get lost in one’s thoughts in these woods, and luckily Camilla is not weak enough to fall prey to the way one can forget where they are here. The princess knows exactly where she is; her thoughts and memories get her through the hunt for Faceless, but during the fights she keeps her wits and awareness about her.

It is time to head home, the stars tell her. She gathers the arrows that have fallen around her and starts her trek back to the castle. The night is as quiet as it can get in the woods in Nohr: there is still the sound of wind rushing through dried branches, the moans of some far away Faceless, the crunching of dirt and bones beneath Camilla’s feet. Many find the woods frightening – and for good reason – but for Camilla, they are a haven.

She wonders if she can someday soon bring Corrin here.

 

~

 

Xander is due to arrive at the castle any moment now; he has stayed at the Northern Fortress only a few days longer than Camilla has, but she is still jealous. Corrin represents a great hope and happiness for Camilla, and every moment away from her is darker than it could be. It is not often that someone feels Xander is lucky in life, but in this aspect, Camilla envies him greatly.

She waits for him at the stables, pretending to look over the horses to make her presence less awkward around the servants. When Xander arrives with his horse, he walks right past Camilla without acknowledging her. She knows her brother would never be this rude intentionally, so she follows him to get a look at his face. He is staring at the ground as he walks, evidently lost in deep thought; there’s a wrinkle between his eyebrows as they come together, and it only smooths out when he sighs and runs his hand across his forehead. Camilla taps Xander’s shoulder to get his attention, and the poor prince literally jumps in fright.

“Camilla?” he says as he turns around. He runs a hand through his curls as though stressed, and though he might be that too, Camilla knows he’ll try to play off the fact that his hands had instinctively reached up to grab at his chest. She decides to let his scare slide – there’s always another time she can tease him for acting so silly – so that she can hear about how the rest of his visit went in the Northern Fortress.

“How was the trip home, brother? Was Corrin upset to know I had to leave so early?” A strand of hair falls into Camilla’s face again, like it is wont to do, and she reaches up to tuck it behind her ear. She considers – not for the first time – if she should cut her hair short like Beruka’s. Her hair is curly though whereas Beruka’s is straight like an arrow, so perhaps the cut wouldn’t look attractive on the princess. She fiddles with the end of the strand in her hand, feeling all the thin lines of hair that make it up, and she considers asking Xander his opinion.

“It was a fine ride like usual. Corrin wanted to know why you left without saying goodbye. I told her it was because Father needed you for an urgent assignment; tell me, how correct was I?” Xander has handed off his horse to one of the stable boys and fallen in step with Camilla. They head to the castle building, and Camilla notices Xander has a certainness in his walk that makes him seem more confident than normal. The small show of confidence is likely an act though judging by his troubled countenance, so Camilla watches the way his expression shifts as they talk to get a better feel for her brother’s state of mind.

“Perfectly right.” The way Xander answered her question bothers her still, so she pushes for clarification. “So Corrin understood that I had to leave swiftly?”

Xander hesitates to answer her, and the moment of silence sits wrong in Camilla’s stomach. The thought of Corrin being angry at her is enough to upset her - the feeling of sickness builds in her throat - and Xander’s reluctance to be frank with her troubles her as well. The princess knows that trust is a burden on all parties in a relationship, and she wonders if Xander has ever perceived a dishonesty on her side. She thinks Xander has noticed her change in mood, and he rushes to cover his blunder of silence.

“She was upset for merely a day and half; she was looking forward to sparring more with you and talking, but she knows you would have stayed if you could.” Xander avoids her eyes when he speaks, though how much of that is habit and how much is the signal of a lie Camilla cannot tell. She sighs since she has nothing else to say. Xander looks concerned at her reaction, but there is nothing either of them can do: Corrin is at the Fortress and they are here.

“So, what’s been worrying you, Xander? You didn’t even see me earlier when you walked right past me.” Camilla changes the subject for both their sakes. If Xander is so distracted by something that he is not keeping a watchful eye out for danger, someone must talk some sense into him.

“Ah, did I really not notice you?” There is a faint blush on Xander’s face in response to her pointing out his obliviousness. Xander runs a hand over his face as though in an attempt to wipe away his embarrassment. “Is it so obvious that something is concerning me?”

Xander has always been a bit stoic around others in the past, but his emotions have never been much of a mystery to Camilla. In this case, however, Camilla is positive that others will notice Xander’s lack of awareness in the time it takes him to enter the castle. She nods in response to his question, and she notices his blush grow a deeper shade of red. Xander hesitates again before speaking, and Camilla is again struck by how her brother must work to speak freely with her. She will never understand why he finds it so difficult to talk sometimes.

“Corrin wants to leave the fortress,” Xander finally says. He fiddles with the cuff of his sleeve, and it draws Camilla’s attention to his wrists. They look thinner than normal, and she wonders if Xander has been forgetting to eat again. He notices where her eyes are focused, so he starts speaking before she can mention anything. “I intend to ask Father if she can do just that, though I am not certain how I am going to approach him about it yet.”

Camilla’s eyes widen when she hears the boldness of Xander’s words. She has often been his voice in the court, so she wonders if he will actually go through with confronting their father. It will either be a brave act or a foolish one depending on how he goes about it.

“Do you think Father will agree to such a request?” Camilla questions, genuinely curious about Xander’s answer. Her brother has a loyalty and love for Garon that the rest of the family can never quite match; he believes his life was saved by Father’s devotion to family, and if Camilla was completely honest with herself, she would not deny the statement. Many in the court had wished to be rid of the boy, but Garon had protected him, especially after Queen Katerina’s death.

“Why wouldn’t he?” Xander sounds the most certain of himself that Camilla has heard him be in a long time, but his next statement is said slower, more thoughtfully. “I’m worried that he’ll have to say no because of something he can’t control though. Corrin would be sorely disappointed if that happened.”

Camilla stares at Xander as though looking at him with new eyes, and after a few moments, Xander can practically feel her burning gaze drilling holes into the side of his head. He turns to look at her with his eyebrow raised, but the neutral expression on his sister’s face doesn’t change.

“Xander, what do you think of Father?” she asks. Xander appears confused by the question if his raised eyebrows are anything to go by.

“Pardon?” Camilla tries rewording her question, though she does not understand what Xander is questioning her about.

“What do you think of when you think of Father? What is he to you?” The new wording does not seem to make much more sense for Xander, but he tries to answer her anyway. He opens his mouth as if to speak, but when he finds he has no words yet, he takes a few moments to consider his answer.

“Father is our father,” he starts off plainly, awkwardly saying the words since he knows what he just said is an obvious fact. “I love him as that and respect him as both a man and a king. I owe a lot to him.”

Xander is avoiding eye contact, but Camilla knows that this is because he is often uncomfortable with expressing emotions like this. The only times he openly speaks like this is when Camilla catches him off guard or when she presses him for information. This is one of the rare occasions when he sees it prudent to tell Camilla his true feelings before she starts digging into him with heaver questions. Camilla is silent as she considers his answer, and her voice is softer than normal when she speaks up again.

“What do you think of the way he runs Nohr? His policies toward Nohrian territories?” It is not hidden knowledge that King Garon is often cruel and violent, sometimes without provocation; Camilla does not worry herself over those issues because her worldview does not include many outside of her family, but she thinks Xander holds honor in higher regard than she does. Her brother narrows his eyes when he hears her questions, though he does not glare at his sister. He instead seems to direct his aggravation outside of himself towards the air, and he scratches at his neck as he considers his next words.

“There are things Father has to do for Nohr to survive. Our country has a powerful military, but we are weak in many other aspects of life, so while I do not always understand why Father does what he does, I will not question him. I know he has Nohr’s best interests at heart. He’s been like that ever since I can remember, Camilla.” A tinge of sadness seems to hide in Xander’s voice, and Camilla wonders if Xander can ever see Garon outside of his love. She can understand the desperation in Xander to cling to the protection and loyalty of his father, especially after the death of his mother - she knows the feeling too; she has enough self-awareness to realize it is part of why she is so doting on her siblings - but she expected him to do more than turn a blind eye to the atrocities Garon has committed. Camilla is aware of the blood on her own hands and sympathizes with Garon more than she should, and that’s when she realizes what might just be the problem with Xander’s view of his father.

It is not his love for Father that she questions, but the way he explains his actions; she realizes that Xander simply does not understand. Camilla, Leo, Elise: they have all been in battle and seen bloodshed. They can follow Garon because they have done it before and come out on top; they know the horrors and they know they can deal with them. Xander’s loyalty is blind love; he has not been allowed on the battlefield, and he has not seen the slaughters. He hears rumors about what has been happening, but he has shut it out because he cannot understand it. Camilla thinks that with even if he went to battle now, that love would not go away – it has been in Xander for too long and held him together at his worst moments.

Xander is watching his sister think, and when Camilla sees the confused expression on his face, she laughs. He is innocent in a different way from Corrin, and it is an innocence that can be dangerously useful for Garon. Camilla’s laugh seems to confuse Xander even more, and his scrunched eyebrows and frowning face make him look adorable in Camilla’s sisterly opinion.

“Xander, is there anything your family could do to make you hate us?” She asks the question in a joking tone of voice, but she is serious in her meaning. Xander manages to pick up on that fact (or maybe he doesn’t – Camilla thinks he does, though) and he thinks for a minute before answering.

“No,” he says, and Camilla is not sure if her brother’s response is heartwarming or terrifying.

“Not even if we killed you in your sleep?” she jokes. Xander smiles at her, and Camilla finds herself wishing that Xander would smile more often.

“I would not be able to hate you if I were dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might notice a focus on Xander in this fic because thinking about him was the reason I even started writing this, but as you can see by this chapter, I will not be solely focused on him! I have stuff written from Leo's and Elise's POV too, and I hope to transition between viewpoints in a way that makes sense as I move through this fic. These first two chapters and some of the next one establish character interactions and some world-building in the sense of what's-what in this AU, but action also starts to kick off in the next chapter.
> 
> As you may have noticed, Garon isn't totally IC in this story, and I did that on purpose. I want to keep his character at the core while changing him into someone that can hopefully be *slightly* more sympathetic. I feel like Fates would have made more sense if the Nohrian family's loyalty to Garon was tied up in something more concrete, so Garon legitimately cares about his kids even if he's harsh in my fic to help make sense of some of that devotion, especially on Xander's part.
> 
> Also, are you wondering if this is the Conquest, Birthright, or Revelation route? It'll be a bit of all of it because I like it that way :P


	3. Leo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the happiest with this chapter, but I think I've kept you all waiting long enough. I may go back and edit this later once I have more of the story written, but if I do it'll be mostly wording/dialogue rather than any story change.

Leo does not expect to see Corrin for another month or two. He has been far too busy crushing the beginnings of resistance movements in the outskirts of Nohrian territory, and when he is not doing that, he is busy training with Hans. He has not been able to plan a visit to the Northern Fortress for a long time, and he has had no excuse to visit anyway.

Seeing Corrin at Castle Krankenburg is a surprise then, to say the least. He doubts his eye sight for a moment, so when Corrin sees him and runs for a hug, he dodges to the side and lets her run into a pillar. If this is a mage trying to catch him off guard, they are very skilled indeed.

“Corrin?” he asks to see if her voice will be familiar when she speaks If he just denied a hug from his sister, Camilla would have an arrow aimed at his head in no time if she finds out about it. He hopes for his own sake that the girl in front of him is just an illusion, but when he hears her groan as she rubs her forehead he knows he has made a mistake.

“Leo, why did you dodge?” she whines. A little red bump marks her forehead where she hit it into the pillar, and Leo sends a silent prayer to the Dusk Dragon for the slight injury to disappear by the time Camilla comes around. The question remains about why Corrin is here in the first place, and Leo saves his happiness at seeing her for when he knows nothing is wrong.

“Why are you here, Corrin?” His sister is of age already so seeing her anywhere should not be a shock, but Corrin is not just any ordinary sibling. If she has escaped the Fortress and snuck over here on her own account, that could mean a world of trouble for her; however, if she is here on Father’s orders, then the man is surely planning to put something into motion. Both ideas stir up a sense of uneasy in the pit of Leo’s stomach.

“Father is allowing me to visit!” Corrin’s smile is brighter than any Leo has seen in the last several years, and it strikes him how he never noticed the lack of luster in his sister before this moment. In his previous visits, he always thought she was quite cheerful; it seems obvious now that her smiles were lacking in comparison to the one he sees now.

“Really?” Leo’s voice is deadpan, but it usually sounds like that to Corrin so his deficiency in excitement does not faze the girl. “How did you manage to convince him to let you leave the Fortress? You haven’t completed your training yet as far as I am aware.”

“I did not have to do anything. Xander convinced Father to let me visit.” Corrin sees Leo’s eyes widen at the statement, and she grins and sticks her tongue out for a moment before realizing how un-royalty like the action is. “I know, right? Who knew Xander had that in him?”

Leo shakes his head and looks at his sister with his eyebrows raised.

“Surely you jest?” His weak-willed brother does not have a talent for words, so he cannot imagine the man succeeding where the rest of the siblings failed. Corrin is not prone to mocking Xander on purpose in Leo’s experience however, so he is inclined to believe her in this moment.

“I am serious, Leo.” The more Leo thinks about this development, the more concerned he grows. Xander does not have the skill to convince Father of anything; if Father said yes to his request, then Garon was waiting for a reason to allow Corrin to come to the castle. Speak of the devil, Leo thinks: Xander turns the corner and looks as surprised to see Leo as Leo was to see Corrin.

“Leo?” Xander approaches the two of them, and Leo tastes a bitterness in his mouth. “I was not aware you were arriving home today.”

Leo examines his older brother with a critical eye, and Xander immediately diverts his own focus away from his brother and onto his sister. There’s a paleness to Xander that worries Leo, and his appearance is made worse by his unusual height. His brother’s tallness accentuates how skinny he is, and that coupled with his pale skin and the shadows under his eyes gives him the look of a skeleton. Leo sighs and Xander makes eye contact with him, though Leo thinks it is reluctantly done judging by how swiftly his brother’s eyes dart away again.

“The Ice Tribe was simple enough to deal with,” Leo knows that Xander is not informed about the details of his sibling’s missions, but he speaks as if that does not matter. Corrin perks up at the mention of the Ice Tribe – Leo stores that knowledge away for the moment – and listens with more focus. “We didn’t even have to fight. That’s neither here nor there now though; what have you two been doing? Xander, I heard you are the reason Corrin is here right now.”

His brother is avoiding eye contact again, and annoyance builds the beginnings of a headache above Leo’s left eye. Corrin’s smile from earlier starts to fade in the face of this tension though she fights to remain cheerful. She has wanted to be with all her siblings outside of the Fortress for so long and now it is finally within her reach; if her brothers do not start acting comfortably around each other soon, she is going to force friendly interaction however she can.

“Father agreed easily enough to the request. I did not do much.” Xander fiddles with the cuff of his sleeve as he speaks, and Leo must bite his tongue to keep himself from saying something scathing in response. Xander appears oblivious to Leo’s rising annoyance in his insistence at not looking at his younger brother, but there’s a growing discomfort on his side of the exchange as well.

“Corrin, how has your training been? Has Camilla nicked you with her arrows enough for you to start avoiding them?” Leo says to change the subject and nods at Xander to acknowledge him but decides to turn his attention back to his sister. If Xander is going to continue to act as though he is a shy child, then Leo will treat him as such. Corrin can at least maintain eye contact in a simple conversation.

“It has been going well. I’ve grown so much since you’ve last seen me, Leo.” Corrin is noticeably less excited than she was a few minutes ago, and both brothers pick up on her change in behavior. She thinks about asking Leo something she has desired for quite some time now – for her brother to tutor her in the art of magic – but she elects to leave that request for later. She has noticed how Leo has turned his body away from Xander, and she wants to bring the conversation back between the three of them. “Xander, have you learned any new techniques for healing spells from the book Felicia gave you?”

“Yes,” Xander starts speaking but then hesitates, and when he starts again he sounds even less sure of himself. “In a way. I haven’t tried them yet.”

“Let’s hope you can do one of them right,” Leo says, and he sees red start to color his brother’s face. The rudeness is not lost on Corrin either, and she is almost frowning at Leo when she addresses him.

“Perhaps you could help Xander practice?” She knows when she finishes speaking that it was the wrong thing to say even before Xander shoots her a look practically pleading for her to stop speaking. Leo laughs without any humor in the sound and the blush on Xander’s face is undeniable now.

“And what would be the point in that?” Leo does not have any malicious intent in this conversation, but he is not one to sweeten his words either. Corrin is frowning now and there is silence between the three of them. Xander shifts his weight from one foot to the other and stops fiddling with the edge of his sleeve before breaking the silence.

“I’ll be off then. Camilla is waiting for me.” With those words said, Xander starts to walk away. When he is at a far enough distance that he would not be able to hear a conversation between Corrin and Leo, Corrin throws a punch at her brother. Leo is not expecting an assault from his sister, and he grasps at his arm where Corrin lands her attack, surprised at the strength of the punch.

“Corrin, what the hell?” Leo slips from his formal mode of speech and looks at his sister with what could be classified as a glare if it weren’t for the surprise expressed on his face as well. It is the farthest he has been from a neutral expression since Corrin saw him today, and Corrin is without a doubt glaring at Leo.

“Be nice to Xander while I’m here!” she says, and Leo senses a hint of annoyance in her voice. He raises an eyebrow in a questioning look.

“You’re not allowed to ruin my visit here with your and Xander’s brotherly conflict. We’re going to be a happy family until I have to go back or else I’m telling Camilla that you ruined everything.” Corrin is pouting now in what she surely knows is a childish fashion, and Leo can only look at his sister in exasperation at her ridiculous threat. Still, he would rather not face the wrath of Camilla, so he pretends to think for a few moments before acquiescing.

“Fine.” He sighs, and Corrin starts smiling again so quickly he wonders how much of her happiness and how much of her irritation is an act. She claps her hands and beams at Leo, making Leo resist the urge to walk away before she does something silly.

“Can I hug you now, Leo?” She asks, arms already outstretched. She takes an exaggerated step away from the pillar she previously ran into and comes closer to Leo, and Leo in response takes a step back himself.

“Of course not.” Leo lets himself start walking away now, but he smirks to himself as he hears Corrin whine and start to follow him.

 

~

 

Dodging to the left, Leo avoids an axe to the face. His reflection stands out to him in the shine of the blade, and it rushes so close he can hear it slicing through the air. Several blonde hairs flutter to the ground: the prince realizes he would be dead if he had not shifted his movements in response to Hans’ aggressive attack. There is a viciousness in this training that Leo has never been a fan of, so he sends a scorching spell – something that is against the rules in this melee training – at the man to end the assault. A guttural cry of pain fills the air followed by curses.

“I refuse to engage in training where my life is in peril. I have repeatedly told you to leave that aggressiveness to the battlefield, and yet you continue to ignore me. I will be informing Father of your behavior, Hans,” Leo has had enough of the criminal in front of him, and he does not understand why Garon insists on keeping him around. Perhaps he expects Hans’ cruelty to rub off on the prince, but Leo only finds disgust within himself for this man. There is no denying the man is a skilled warrior; however, that does not excuse his blatant lack of obedience and the danger he poses.

“Go ahead, milord,” Hans sneers at him, utilizing the title as tool for mocking Leo. For some reason, Hans is under the impression that he is untouchable - Leo has noticed this fact over the course of his interactions with the man. He stands tall, shouldering his axe, displaying how little he cares about the prince’s threat. His appearance is quite ugly: his face is covered in scars, and his body bulges with muscles that are not at all flattering with his short and stocky stature. Fortunately for Hans, the look works well for intimidating and frightening enemies.

“Very well.” Leo is not intimidated however – he has quarreled with this vulgar man too often in the past for that – and decides to not engage with the man any longer; the more he talks with Hans, the more aggravated he’ll be, and the more Hans will feel victorious. He starts walking off the training grounds, a sandy open patch of land within the castle, and sheathes Siegfried before wiping the sweat from his brow. Hans does not stop him, but he does watch him until he departs. Leo’s skin prickles as he feels Hans’ gaze on him.

He eventually returns to his room to change out of his training clothes, and as he is finishing cleaning up, there is a knock on his door. He is not expecting visitors so he assumes it is one of his retainers. Opening the door, his guess is confirmed: Niles is there.

The man has scars covering his body as an echo of his criminal past much like Hans does, and he has an eye-patch to boot along with a crude manner of speaking. Niles, unlike Hans however, has Leo’s respect: he is skilled as an archer, and the man has some sense of honor and can realize when he has crossed the line in his behaviors. Seeing him puts Leo into a better mood, though he prepares himself to avoid saying anything that Niles can twist into a gross innuendo.

“King Garon requests your presence, milord,” Niles says, and the characteristic teasing sound of his voice always leaves Leo in the dark about whether he is being mocked or not. “The rest of the royal family should be there as well.”

“Elise too?” Leo asks. He has not seen all of his family in quite some time, and here was a family reunion right when he finally returns from his assignments. He would be happy to see everyone, but the coincidence of the occurrence makes him vaguely uneasy.

“As far as I am aware, yes. I saw her arrive at the castle in the morning,” Niles says, and the heaviness Leo feels in the pit of his stomach does not lighten. Niles is overdue for a snarky comment at this point, and Leo lets himself be distracted from his worries by trying to avoid giving the man any matches to light a fire.

“Would you like an escort to the throne room, milord?” Niles says as Leo starts to step around him. There’s a brightness in the man’s eyes that Leo knows is indicative of a trap. He side-steps the words as Niles gives him space to exit his room.

“No,” Leo answers simply, and he hears Niles sigh.

“Very well, Prince Leo.” Niles turns away to leave, and Leo is satisfied at the dull conversation they had. Why Leo chose the retainers he did is anyone’s guess, but they do provide a much-needed entertainment at times for the serious prince and exercise for the brain whenever he must talk to either Niles or Odin.

He makes his way to the throne room in peace, interrupted by nobody and left alone to his thoughts. The looming halls of Castle Krankenburg frighten many visitors because of the darkness – punctuated only by flickering torches – and cold, the dark stones of the floor and walls chilling the entire castle, but Leo finds comfort in the echoing silence. It is difficult for anybody to sneak up on him as any steps on the stone floors clatter loud enough for even a fool to notice. He remembers how he used to run through these hallways searching for a place to hide so that he would not have to go through another training lesson and could instead read for hours. The memories fill him with a longing he forgets about often; he does not have any time for books nowadays or any time to reminisce for that matter.

When he enters the throne room he sees that he is the last of the family to arrive: his siblings turn to the door as it slams shut, and the first thing he notices is Elise’s brilliant smile. They have not seen each other for some time now, and he can tell that if they were not in front of Father, Elise would run to hug him. Thankfully for Leo, she does not do that; Elise is often forgetful of her strength and her hugs are more crushing than heartwarming. A scar Leo is certain is new runs across her forehead and disappears into her hairline; it pains him to see his little sister’s face marked by battle, but her incredible strength is an asset they cannot refuse to utilize.

Leo sees the way Xander’s eyes flicker to and focus on Siegfried, wielded at Leo’s hip, before looking at his face. They make eye contact for a moment, but then Xander breaks away and Leo decides to not pay any mind to him. He approaches the rest of his siblings, all standing in front of King Garon.

“I see you have arrived here in a timely fashion, Leo,” Garon says in his deep voice, and Leo cannot tell if he means his words as a warning or if they were merely a form of acknowledging his presence. He assumes the latter for his own sake and responds in kind.

“Yes, Father.” With that said, Garon turns his attention from his youngest son to Corrin, and Leo sees Corrin stand straighter when she notices the King’s eyes on her. She is standing proudly with her head raised and eyes shining with determination; it’s a striking resemblance to the way Camilla and Elise carry themselves, and Leo wonders what aura he gives off in his posture. He grows conscious of the way he is standing and unconsciously stiffens.

“Corrin,” Garon pauses to make sure everyone is listening. “I have been told you are excelling as a warrior and have given even Camilla challenges at times. The time has come for you to join your siblings in arms and fight for Nohr.”

Both Camilla and Elise’s heads dip from their previously proud postures, and while Camilla looks more concerned, it is their littlest sister who speaks out.

“Father, are you certain about this? Corrin has still not begun learning magic.” Elise appears confident in her objection, but Leo wonders if it is an act or if she has come back to Castle Krankenburg more often than he and is thus comfortable with speaking out. He was under the impression that Elise is away for longer than he is and more often, but she is speaking of Corrin’s training as though she personally knows what she is saying is true. He tucks the fact into the back of his mind for later.

“I am ready,” Corrin interjects, and whereas Camilla and Elise lowered their posture at Garon’s declaration, Corrin has raised herself with more pride than Leo has ever seen before. “I appreciate your concern, Elise - I do - but I have trained often for this very purpose and I trust Father’s decision.”

Leo glances at Xander for the first time since entering the room, and there’s an odd lack of reaction from the man. He glances between Corrin and Garon every few seconds and there is a paleness to his face, but besides that, there is no other tell to what Xander’s emotions are. Looking back at Father, Leo is surprised at what he sees: there is almost a smile on the stoic man’s face, and Leo would not doubt that he failed to mask his own shock if someone glanced at him at that moment.

“Corrin, I trust that you have been informed at the very least that Nohr is at war with the kingdom of Hoshido.” Garon speaks with a projecting voice now, more suitable for story-telling than for addressing each of them individually. King Garon waits for Corrin to respond in the affirmative before continuing, “As members of the Nohrian royal family, we are descendants of the First Dragons. With that divine strength, we have been able to conquer nations with ease in our past. If you learn to wield the power of the ancient gods, we shall be victorious once again and Hoshido will not stand a chance. I expect you to join Camilla, Leo, and Elise on the battlefield with this power, Corrin.”

“Of course, Father,” Corrin replies without hesitation, and there is a gleam in her eyes that worries Leo in its intensity. “I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. I will not fail you nor my siblings, and most of all, I will not fail Nohr.”

There is silence as Corrin’s words sink into her siblings’ skins, and Garon almost looks impressed, if Leo must choose a word to describe the man’s thoughtful gaze at the girl. Leo wonders if his sister will stand to her words when she is put under the pressure of a Nohrian war; he has never seen Corrin be cruel to even an insect, and he cannot fathom putting the images of his sister and someone like Hans close to each other.

“I have great hope for you, Corrin.” King Garon says, and with a sweep of his hand, a glittering dark sword shimmers into existence in front of the girl. There is awe in her eyes as she gazes upon the blade, and she reaches out to grasp the handle but stops herself before she even touches the sword.

“Take it.” At Garon’s urging, Corrin takes the sword in hand. Leo notices how her hand dips under the weight of the metal, and he knows what she is feeling: the sword is heavier than she expects, and the weight is more than physical when it finally touches one’s palm. “This is Ganglari. With it and its magic, you will crush all Hoshidans in your path.”

“Thank you, Father.” Corrin’s words escape her mouth in a breathy fashion with the girl still awe-struck at the weapon in her hands. She brings it to her side and looks back up at Garon. Leo takes a glance at all his other siblings, and he sees that none of them look comfortable with what is happening. Camilla still appears concerned, her brows and frowning mouth never relaxing from the first declaration of their father’s; Elise’s mouth is set in a grim line and her hands are curled into fists; and Xander is more pale than before, though still unusually stone-faced.

“Bring out the prisoners,” Garon shouts towards a door, and as Leo is glancing at his siblings, he sees them all start slightly – Xander, most notably, in a jump while Camilla merely jerks her head and blinks slightly faster than normal – from the unexpected announcement. Corrin is also turning towards the door, apparently unaware of what was happening as well. Leo knows now why Garon wanted them all there to announce Corrin’s new role in life; he not only wanted them to be aware of the change, but he also wanted them present for Corrin’s first test.

Two Hoshidans are brought in, both struggling and looking the worse for wear. One is a tribal woman, and she would look fierce if it weren’t for the dirt on her clothes and the sickly sheen of sweat covering her skin. The other is obviously a ninja, though he must be injured to be moving as gracelessly as he is.

“These are prisoners from a recent battle we had with the Hoshidans. Corrin, strike them down.” The commands are simple and leave no room for disobedience. Leo sees his sister look between the prisoners and Garon before jumping into battle without another word.

The fight is short as expected: the two prisoners are not in the best shape. There is an obvious hesitation in Corrin’s movements though; striking at people with the intent of hurting them is an entirely different feeling than striking a partner in training. There is a quick exchange of blows, and Corrin is soon standing tall above the prisoners. She holds Ganglari high, ready to strike them dead if they move, but she does not administer the killing blow.

“What are you waiting for, girl?” Garon interrupts the silence, and his eyes narrow though the rest of his expression remains unreadable.

“They are defeated, Father. They cannot fight back,” Corrin stands her ground against Garon while still holding her sword ready to strike. She has turned her head to look at her father, but Leo notices that her eyes keep flickering back and forth between Garon and the prisoners.

“They are Hoshidans. We show no mercy, Corrin.” There is a silent standoff between the king and Corrin, and the tension filling the air is enough to make Leo feel as if he is choking on it. When the tribal girl mutters “Nohrian scum” under her breathe and Corrin still does not swing the sword down on them, Garon sends a spell towards the prisoners to finish the confrontation.

The crackle of magic fills the air and there is a colorful explosion that kicks up dust and debris. Leo’s view of Corrin is obscured for some moments, and when the dust clears, he feels his heart drop through his chest. His sister stands in the space between the King and Hoshidans now, sword raised against him in a defensive gesture. Leo hears a gasp from Elise, and when he looks at their father, his face is dangerously blank of emotion. There are a few moments of silence before Garon lets out a humorless laugh.

“So your words from earlier were nothing but empty air? You dare to defy me directly, Corrin?” Garon’s voice, low and deceptively calm, sends a shiver down Leo’s spine. He is frozen in the face of Corrin’s actions, and he realizes that he fears for her life.

“Father!” Leo almost jumps out of skin when he hears the shout, and when he looks to his brother, he sees Xander is nearly white with panic. “Please forgive her! She doesn’t understand yet; she has only left the fortress for the first time in years.”

There is a stunned silence at Xander’s outburst, and Garon looks at him thoughtfully. The king glances between his eldest son and his disobedient daughter, and he relaxes into the throne as he considers his options.

“Please, Father,” Leo hears Elise whisper, and when he sees Garon glance at the rest of his children, he wonders if the man heard the girl too. Corrin is still standing tall when Garon turns his attention back to her.

“Explain yourself, child.” He says, and for the first time in many years, Leo considers the idea that perhaps Xander is right in his beliefs about Father and family. He looks to his brother now, and Xander has physically shrunk away since he spoke – Leo sees a tremble in his body, most noticeably in his hands – though he still watches the exchange with the same intensity as Camilla. Leo is surprised that Camilla has not spoken up at all since entering the throne room, but when he glances at her and sees the tight grip she has on the strap connected to her bow, he knows now that she is preparing herself for action.

“My promise was not empty words,” Corrin asserts. Her mouth is set in a grim line, and her eyes stare at Garon with a determination Leo has never seen shine there before. “When I said I will not fail you or Nohr, I meant that sincerely, and that means I will do what is right for the country. I believe in you, Father, but in this instance, I believe execution is the wrong move; part of my respect for you is in telling you when I think you are wrong rather than letting your demand go unchallenged.”

Leo can practically see the thoughts go through Garon’s mind: when he glances at Corrin, he considers the weight of allowing disobedience to go unpunished, and when he glances at the rest of his children, he considers the weight of discouraging thoughtfulness in war and destroying their sense of loyalty to family. After several moments of silence, he waves his hand towards the prisoners.

“Release them,” Garon says, and Leo thinks for a moment that he is losing his hearing. “Live with your decisions, Corrin. See how many of your friends and countrymen they strike down dead. You’ll understand why I demand what I do in due time.”

There is silence as Garon rises from his throne and Corrin turns back towards the prisoners. The ninja is watching carefully as the events of the past several minutes have been unfolding, but the warrior woman is red in the face, both from the exhaustion of battle and from what appears to Leo to be anger. She does not speak nor move though her teeth are gritted, and the prince watches her for any signs of a sudden attack on Corrin.

“I must attend to other matters now.” King Garon says as he walks towards the doors of the throne room to leave, and he glances back one last time towards the Hoshidans and Corrin. “Do as you wish with them.”

“Yes, Father.” The doors echo shut as Corrin finishes speaking, and Leo feels an uneasy fluttering in the pit of his stomach from the fact that he can’t get a read on their father at all. He cannot tell if Garon is upset or understanding of what just occurred, and it worries him. Leo runs up to Corrin with his siblings as soon as the doors shut, and that is when the Hoshidan woman spits at the feet of their sister.

“If you let me go now and we meet again, I will personally kill you, Nohrian scum,” she practically growls at Corrin, and her companion quickly turns to look at her with reproach.

“How dare you-!” Camilla’s anger flares in the absence of Garon and she raises a hand to slap the woman when Corrin catches her. If it weren’t for Corrin’s resistance to their death, Camilla would have opted for much more drastic measures than a slap, and the fact that Corrin stops even that surprises the older sister into not resisting the halt of motion. There is an anger in Xander as well that propels him into action away from his fear.

“You are only alive now because of our sister’s kindness. You deserve death, but she has chosen mercy. Leave now before she or Father changes their minds.” Xander’s voice is loud enough to project and Leo sees an echo of their father in the man for a brief second, but it is gone the next moment when his brother’s hands begin to shake again. Corrin lets go of Camilla now and reaches for Xander.

“Please stay calm, my brothers and sisters,” she says, and the ninja silently observes the interactions with a keen eye. His eyes flicker to Elise, his companion, and then Leo – they make eye contact for a moment – and he turns back to watching Corrin. The girl keeps Ganglari at her side, and she moves from Xander to the warrior woman.

“I find it unfortunate that you see no possibility of peace. Hopefully, that will change in time, when we can all see a future with no more war. My name is Corrin,” she says as she reaches a hand out to help the woman crouched on the ground. The rest of the siblings stiffen in their postures at the gesture, and Leo is certain that the ninja takes note of it. Elise in particular is holding her fists close to herself, though there is a shine in her eyes that Leo cannot understand.

“I am Rinkah of the Flame Tribe,” the woman says as she refuses Corrin’s aid and rises from the ground herself. Rinkah’s eyebrows are furrowed and she is distinctly sneering at her now, but Corrin does not mimic her expression. “I have heard rumors about a sheltered Nohrian princess; that must be you, Corrin. I can see you don’t understand how the world works. If we meet again, you’ll surely have learned something in battle by then.”

Having said her piece, Rinkah turns to run and escape and her companion does the same. The Nohrian siblings watch them leave – there is no effort to stop the Hoshidans, as they are far too injured to attempt anything more than a return to their homelands – and when they are gone, they all turn to Corrin and crowd around her.

“Corrin! Corrin, why must you be so rebellious?” Elise asks as she tackles Corrin, going in for a hug and swinging the two of them around. Corrin is dizzy in the aftermath of hurricane Elise, and she stumbles into Camilla in the next moment.

“Father doesn’t forget slights, sweetheart,” Camilla says as she takes advantage of Corrin’s proximity and envelopes her in a hug of her own. There’s a worry in Camilla’s voice though it is not panic filled, and Corrin is mumbling a “it’ll be okay” in response. Xander is silent and when Leo looks at him, the man is swaying on his feet.

“Xander!” Elise calls out, evidently noticing what Leo has seen and bringing all of their attention to it. She runs to him and flutters around him, prepared to catch him if he falls. “Are you alright?”

There is no response from the man for a few moments, and both Camilla and Corrin are looking at Xander now too. Leo laughs humorlessly to break the awkward silence.

“It looks like he used up all of his voice earlier,” Leo comments, and it is like his voice breaks Xander out of his daze. The ghostly paleness of Xander’s skin is returning to a more normal color, and he looks around at everyone before focusing on Corrin.

“Sister, please don’t challenge Father like that again,” he says, and there’s a pleading to his voice. “He loves us dearly but if you say something like that in front of the court, he will have no choice but to punish you harshly.”

Camilla nods in response to their brother’s words and Elise does the same though more hesitantly, but Corrin looks away and thinks for a few moments before saying anything. Leo is inclined to do the same as Corrin for he does not have the same conviction that Xander does about their Father’s love. Leo thinks that perhaps Garon has changed over the years for there to be such drastic differences among the siblings’ opinion of him, but he saves the thoughts for later pondering.

“Xander, I’ve told you before that I’ve had a lot of time to think in the Northern Fortress,” Corrin begins. “I have values and beliefs I have developed over time from my readings and solitude. I must be able to live with myself if I fight for Nohr. I am sorry if that causes any of you unnecessary stress.”

Corrin’s statements take some time to sink into their skins, and Leo thinks he will consider her words again later when he has more time for self-reflection. Camilla sighs and begins to walk towards the exit, evidently seeing this as the end to Father’s gathering for them. Much has happened, and Leo would not be surprised if she is intending to take a trip to the hot springs. Elise sticks around, however, likely wanting to spend time with Corrin, and Xander is still there, struggling to find the words to say what he wants to judging by the way he keeps opening his mouth as if to begin speaking but then closing it. Finally, when Corrin begins to leave as well, Elise following, Xander speaks.

“Your kindness can be the death of you, Corrin,” he says, and Leo finds himself agreeing with his brother. Corrin turns around with a look of curiosity on her face, and Xander appears worried beyond words with the way he is fiddling with his shirt sleeve and glancing around at the corners of the room. The fear for Corrin is something that they are all feeling, and before Camilla exits the room, Leo commands attention and speaks to them all though he responds to Xander in particular.

“That is what we are all here for. We’ll protect each other as a family. I can temper Corrin’s kindness, and Corrin’s kindness can restraint Camilla’s rage, and so forth.  We won’t fail together.” Leo sees Elise smile at his words, and Xander’s fear turns to something more akin to vague unease – it is not ideal, but better than constant anxiety. He hopes Camilla took comfort in what he said as well, but he cannot judge her reaction from her distance.

“Thank you, Leo,” Corrin says, and a warm feeling grows in Leo’s chest at her smile. He thinks it might be hope for their family to pull through in the war, but for now, he just enjoys how the meeting turned out fine despite the turn of events that took place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! This chapter is pretty much canon compliant except for some change in motivation! The farther we get from the beginning, the less canon compliant this fic will be. It'll sort of be like a domino effect :P


	4. Elise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry for the lateness of this, but my days have been crazy busy! I had midterms and I got sick and I'm going through some training for work; I barely have time for anything. I'm not even ready to release this chapter since I haven't really edited it, but I feel bad not giving you guys something. Hopefully, my days will get more relaxed and I'll get more writing and editing done.

Elise meets Corrin at the training grounds after the meeting with Father just long enough to give them both time to change into training clothes and walk there. They spar to let go of the stress of the meeting though Elise also finds it fun. She swings a wooden axe, her preferred choice of weapon, as Corrin blocks with a wooden sword.

Every blow from Elise sends a shock down Corrin’s arm; it is a playful fight, but the brute strength within Elise is not easily tamed. Corrin’s bones are rattled at every exchange between sword and axe, but Elise laughs at the clashes, face red from childish excitement and heat of exercise. Corrin, meanwhile, pants to keep up with her sister.

“Sister, you’re so much better compared to the last time we played!” Elise says as she lands a blow on Corrin’s side. Corrin chokes, the wind blown out of her, and Elise jumps back to give her room to breathe.

“And you are as tough as ever, Elise,” Corrin grunts as she tries to land a strike on her sister. The shaft of an axe halts the downward movement of the sword, and Corrin jumps back to avoid the kick Elise aims at her abdomen again. Elise has a small body, but it is to her great advantage: not a few enemies underestimate the power that lies in those slender muscles, and they are not accustomed to aiming at such a low target in their swings. There’s a playfulness and dance to the way Elise fights that frustrates many who go against her. She dodges attacks easily with her speed and flexibility provided by her tiny and slender frame, and her attacks land on exposed legs and stomachs, crippling skilled fighters.

Corrin feels a blow hit one of her ankles, and the striking pain sends her to her knees. Before Elise can swipe at her again, Corrin tosses aside her sword and raises her hands, palms facing outwards towards her sister.

“I yield,” she says, and Elise pouts in response.

“Boo!” the little one whines. “You need more stamina, Corrin!”

“I don’t-“ Corrin sighs as she stands up, holding her stomach. “-think the issue requires I need more stamina, but that you stop sapping energy from the gods themselves.”

Elise laughs while Corrin regains her breathe. She jumps up to land a kiss rather than a blow on her sister’s cheek, giggling over Corrin’s flattery. The gentleness of Elise’s fluttering kiss is something that Corrin hopes will never be beaten out of her in battle; it is such an extreme contrast to her brutality in fighting that Corrin sometimes believes she is fooling herself about the lightness of the touch due to her own desires for the softness of her sister.

Elise’s laughs settle down after some moments, and when Corrin is finished regaining her breathe, they look at each other, eye to eye, Corrin’s head titled down and Elise’s tilted up, appreciating each other’s presence. They do not have time to spend together often in recent years; there are times in Elise’s childhood, she remembers, when they played together and were closer than any other family members, but then Elise grew powerful and began to be sent away on assignments to protect Nohr and the country’s interests. Elise sees Corrin reach her hand up to rub at Elise’s forehead; the touch is gentle, and Elise knows she is feeling the scar that sits on her skin now.

“What is this from?” Corrin says in a quiet voice, eyes faraway as she tries to rub the mark away. “I don’t remember this being here the last time I saw you.”

“An unfortunate encounter with an angry rebel in the south,” Elise supplies as she leans into Corrin’s touch. The warmth from her fingers is soothing like the warmth from her care, and the touch is almost like a massage for her scalp. “It is a good thing Effie is vigilant even outside of battle. We all need to be careful like her.” Elise finds her voice growing quieter as well in response to Corrin’s calm, and a smile grows on her face when she thinks about her trusty retainer, always ready to protect her. Corrin stops rubbing at Elise’s scar, evidently resigned to failure in rubbing it away, and the younger girl lets her smile fade away to a more neutral expression.

“Corrin, about earlier,” she starts, and she sees the way Corrin’s body tenses in anticipation of whatever it is Elise is going to say. “I know it is difficult to follow Father sometimes. He is cruel and I desire peace like you. I do what I can to protect people, but openly disobeying Father will cause more harm than good. If you do something like that again, he may have to punish you severely, and you will not be able to do any good at all from the fortress.”

Corrin considers her sister’s words as she takes her hand away from Elise’s forehead. Silence fills the air for some moments, but it is not uncomfortable or awkward – it is just time to think. The quiet is broken by a little laugh from Corrin.

“That sounds an awful lot like something Leo would say,” she says finally, and Elise notes that her sister is deflecting but lets it go.

“That’s because it is something he said,” Elise, cheeks puffed out in indignation at the implication that she couldn’t think of something like that herself, answers her, and Corrin steps back to give them both some space in the conversation. Corrin bends down to pick up the wooden sword she tossed away when calling for an end to their sparring. Taking her cue, Elise walks over to the weapons rack to put away the axe she chose for battle, and waits for Corrin to do the same with the sword.

“I think you should apologize to Father,” Elise says finally as Corrin places her sword into its place. There’s a determined edge to her voice though her serious face looks too much like a pout for Corrin to take her completely seriously at first. She reminds herself that Elise is not the innocent girl she appears to be and mulls the idea over in her mind.

Elise hopes that her sister does not misunderstand her; she admires Corrin for her ability to stand up to their scary father for her beliefs, and Elise wishes that she could do that too. The girl has read the same books on peace and philosophy that her older sister has – perhaps read even more of them as she could hunt down more books while Corrin was stuck with the ones in the Northern Fortress – so she finds within herself a love for a life without war and serious conflict. She hopes Nohr can one day see a world like that, but Leo has explained to her why it is not so simple a matter as just wishing for peace and preaching it. Their country is cold and barren, requiring battle for resources and survival. A treaty with Hoshido has been out of the question since before Elise could even think of such a solution; the world around them is more complicated than Corrin may realize. She needs to apologize for her own sake, to be in Father’s good graces. Her ideals, however, need no apology.

“Do you really think so?” Corrin says after some moments. Elise nods as they start walking back to their rooms to change out of their sweat-drenched training clothes.

“I do.” There is a pause in their conversation as Elise considers how to word what she wants to say. Leo is the one who has a way with words in their family; Elise feel things strongly, but she often needs Leo’s help in figuring out how to get her point across. She is alone now without his help though, so she must work with what she has.

“Father will trust you more if you apologize for not listening to him. If he trusts you more, he’ll pay attention less to what you do, so you can sometimes technically disobey like me and Leo do and he won’t notice.”

Corrin’s ears perk up at something Elise says, and the girl stops talking to see what caught Corrin’s attention. In Elise’s silence, Corrin sees her chance to satisfy her curiosity.

“Leo? Disobeying Father?” she asks, her head titled to an extreme and eyes widened in wonder. Elise sees the exaggeration to be an attempt at humor, and she mimics her sister’s movements and widened eyes when she responds.

“But of course!” When Corrin cracks a smile, Elise smiles too but then grows serious again. She reminds herself to stop acting cute and focus on the issue. “I think Leo hates blood as much as I do even though he tries to act tough in front of us. When Father trusts us to do a job, he doesn’t check if we take prisoners or kill everyone as long as the main objective is completed. You can do that too.”

“If he trusts me.” Corrin puts a hand to her chin, considering her options. She is looking at the ground as they walk with her eyebrows furrowed. The smile has slipped from her lips now, and her expression is dipping into a frown.

“If he trusts you,” Elise echoes. She thinks Leo might be proud of the way she is getting Corrin to think about apologizing to Father. They walk in silence though they soon approach a hallway where they must separate to go to their separate rooms. Corrin stalls at the intersection for some time while Elise waits for her to come to her decision. She can’t force Corrin to do anything, but there is a hope growing in her chest that Corrin will do as she suggests the longer her sister stands in silence.

“Elise,” Corrin finally says, looking at her sister. “I will apologize to Father, but can you help me?”

"Of course!” Elise says, grabbing Corrin’s hands and shaking them up and down as her hope blooms into reality, spilling into excitement. Corrin is smiling again now though her gaze is a bit distant.

“Let us meet back here after changing into something more appropriate to greet Father in,” Corrin says. Elise nods and is already running down the hall to her room. Excitement is always an appropriate reaction when threats to her family’s bonding are on their path to being fixed.

 

~

 

Elise and Corrin, now dressed in their usual attire around the castle – an intricate, pretty dress for Elise that she can change out of in a moment’s notice if necessary, and a lightweight suit of armor for Corrin that doubles as military-like formal wear and functional armor if needed – stand in front of the throne room doors, ready to approach King Garon. Elise would think her sister is perfectly calm about doing this if it were not for the way her fingers were fidgeting with each other.

“Alright, let’s do this, Corrin. I’ll help if you need me to, but you likely won’t. Father didn’t seem to react as badly as we thought he would when you refused to kill those prisoners, so he probably isn’t even expecting an apology! Besides, he’s our father.” Elise does not realize she is rambling, but Corrin understands the intent behind her words.

“Thank you, Elise,” she interrupts her sister’s attempt at convincing her to relax. “I am certain it will be fine.” Corrin’s fingers continued to fidget and pull at her nails, but Elise does not bring that to attention. Elise takes a deep breath, counts down from three quietly but loud enough for Corrin to hear, and then knocks on the ornate doors.

“Father!” she calls out. “We have something to talk to you about!”

There is silence for some moments, and the longer they stand there outside those doors, waiting for an answer, the sillier they feel for getting worked up over talking to their father.

“Perhaps he is busy?” Corrin asks in a hushed voice. Elise shrugs her shoulders. They wait another moment, then another, and then they nearly jump when a loud voice finally booms for them to enter. They open the doors and walk in.

Garon appears irritated, as though they were interrupting something he was doing, but when Elise looks around the room, she sees nobody and nothing else. She thinks maybe Father was thinking about some troubling event in Nohr and how to resolve it like he often does and that he does not appreciate being bothered, so she speaks up quickly as they approach him.

“We are sorry if we are bothering you, Father,” Elise begins as Corrin starts saying “we apologize if this is not a good time.” Garon interrupts them both with a wave of his hand.

“What do you two want?” he asks. They both stutter to silence. Elise looks to Corrin to see if she needs help already, but Corrin is already stepping forward to address Garon properly.

“I have come to apologize, Father,” she says, looking at Garon with a sincerity that Elise could almost believe is real if it were not for their discussion. “It was not my place to question your judgement how I did. I stepped out of line. I hope you can forgive me.”

Elise stays silent, believing that Corrin is doing well in the situation. King Garon is silent too, examining Corrin with a critical eye and glancing occasionally at Elise. The girl wonders if he can figure out that it was her idea to apologize by just looking at them – her heart starts to race at the thought, hoping he doesn’t think Corrin’s apology is an act because of it – but her paranoia melts away when Garon finally settles his gaze on her sister and accepts the apology.

“It takes a brave woman to stand before the king and admit a mistake. I have already pardoned your crime since you are my daughter and I understand your intentions. Do not misunderstand me,” Garon turns his attention to Elise as well when he speaks now, and the girl is taken aback at her father’s focus. “Your crime was not questioning me: it was the manner in which you did it. You are princesses of Nohr, and I do not intend to squash out your intuitions and ability to think critically; those are qualities the leadership of this country must retain. However, I am King and you must respect and fear me as one. If you have criticisms, they shall be taken up in private, and, I warn you, with caution. Questioning me so openly will not blow over so easily next time.”

Elise’s eyes are wide with amazement at Father’s words, and she wonders if perhaps she and Leo can approach their Father about his violent methods. She tucks away the thought for the future, and both she and Corrin nods their heads.

“Yes, Father,” they say. When Elise looks at Corrin again, she sees some confusion on her face, and she does not blame the girl: Father is not known for forgiveness and leniency. Leo will probably be able to explain Garon’s behavior, Elise thinks, and she makes another mental note to herself to find her brother quickly after this.

“Corrin, I actually have something I’d like you to do: a mission,” Garon pauses to make certain his daughter is paying full attention. Corrin has relaxed her features to erase any lingering impressions of confusion in her expression; she looks at the king now as though he is the only thing grabbing her focus. “Think of it as a way for you to prove your loyalty.”

“Of course. What is it, Father?”

“There is an abandoned fortress on the Hoshidan border, and I wish to know if it is still serviceable. Your mission will be to travel to the site, inspect it, and report back. Do you understand?” The mission sounds simple enough, but there is a dull pain building in Elise’s forehead and a fluttering of bats in her stomach. There is something odd about a mission that is so easy; Elise is not the smartest Nohrian in the family, but even she can notice that.

“Yes, Father. I will not disappoint you.” Elise looks over Corrin, and though her face betrays no hesitation, Elise sees the way Corrin’s body is tensed and stiff. Father dismisses them after issuing the mission. Meeting eyes, the sisters nods their heads when they leave the throne room and run off to find their siblings.

 

~

 

Tugging on Corrin’s arm, Elise pulls her sister towards where she has spotted their siblings: they are huddled together outside the castle gates, apparently discussing something quite viciously. Leo is gesturing with his hands as he speaks, and though he is relatively minimal in his movements, Elise knows her brother does not gesticulate unless he is worked up over a topic. Xander’s body is slightly hunched into himself like it is wont to do. Camilla stands farther from her brothers than the distance between the boys, and she is fiddling with one of her arrows when Elise spots them.

“Yikes,” Elise whispers as she and Corrin walk up to the group. Her sister nods in agreement, evidently not excited to enter a potential argument. Camilla sees them approaching however and waves her hand at the men to hush their conversation. The three of them relax as much as they can by the time Elise and Corrin are in front of them, but both Leo and Xander are still stiff in their posture.

Corrin and Elise greet their siblings with a hug and a kiss, both out of love and in hope of diffusing the tension between their brothers. Camilla smiles at their peace-making attempts. Leo grows flustered under the tender touches, and in his embarrassment, his previous anger melts away. Their eldest brother remains stiff and uncomfortable, however, and Elise pouts at him. Xander takes a step back at his little sister’s sulky expression, and Camilla takes advantage of his movement to wrap an arm around his shoulders and lean against him as though he were a pillar. Xander stumbles for a moment under his sister’s weight, and Elise and Corrin hide their smiles behind their hands.

“Lighten up, dear brothers,” Camilla says as she takes pity on Xander and stops leaning against him. She turns her attention to Leo, but he subtly takes a step to the side to make it awkward for her to reach for him. Camilla sighs, looking at her sisters. “Why are you sweeties out here?”

“We were looking for you!” Elise twitters before Corrin can even open her mouth. When her sister finishes talking, Corrin begins to explain what she and Elise had just been through with Garon. The light-hearted mood created by the sisters gets heavier with every word of Corrin’s explanation though it never feels too serious. Camilla, with her eyes narrowed and a frown marring her beautiful face, looks the most concerned after the explanation while Leo merely appears thoughtful.

“Darling, are you sure you are going to be all right by yourself out there? This mission gives me a bad feeling.” Camilla trails off at the end of her sentence, voice growing quieter and frown growing deeper. Elise nods her head in agreement.

“Please don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” Corrin says. She stands tall though the fingers of her right hand are scratching at her left hand’s nails. Leo shakes his head and lets out an irritated sigh, and Corrin looks at him quickly, surprised by his attitude.

“This isn’t like Father. You should watch yourself, Corrin. This could be bad,” Leo says, staring at Corrin. Though Elise had agreed with Camilla’s sentiment earlier, she still gasps at Leo’s words.

“Sheesh, Leo! Can you make it sound any scarier?” Elise throws a little punch at her brother as a cue for him to be subtler, but she misjudges her strength like she often does. Leo stiffens as the blow hits his arm, and there is a moment of silence as he fights back a groan of pain.

“Elise,” he finally manages, though his voice is quieter and more strained than normal. The girl calls out an apology, and when she looks around her siblings, she sees that Xander has cracked a smile at Leo’s predicament. The girls winks at him, and he turns away, blushing slightly at getting caught enjoying Leo’s pain. The silliness of the moment ends quickly; Camilla brings the attention back to Corrin and her mission.

“I’ll come along with you, Corrin. I can make sure you’re safe,” Camilla says, letting a smile grace her lips. Elise claps her hands, agreeing with the plan. It makes her feel better knowing that Corrin would be with Camilla, a very experienced fighter in her own right. Leo considers the idea for a moment before nodding his consent. Corrin offers no resistance, and a feeling of calm washes over the siblings as the situation is settled.

“That is not possible, I am afraid,” a voice speaks out, sending a shiver down Elise’s spine. Iago appears in a shimmer of black smoke, using magic to make a dramatic entrance like a pretentious actor. Elise’s smile fades from her face, and she is certain that her siblings’ faces express similar feelings of distrust or distaste judging by the smirk twisting Iago’s countenance.

"And why would that be?” Camilla questions, eyes narrowed and mouth falling back into a frown. The arrow she was holding when Elise first spotted her is still in her hands and is getting mangled by Camilla’s wandering fingers now. There is a sleaziness to Iago that sets all the Nohrian children on edge. Elise has heard vile orders from that mouth demanding too many deaths herself, and she often finds herself wishing Father would just get rid of the man.

“King Garon intends for this mission to be a test of sorts. Your involvement would only muddy the results,” Iago explains. Camilla is not satisfied by the answer, but she knows Iago – as slimy as he is – would not lie about an order from Father. The man values his position as the royal advisor, and he would not do something as foolish as that to lose it. Elise sees Leo nod to himself as though confirming something. Elise considers challenging Iago still, but Corrin speaks up before she can decide.

“Understood.” Corrin says. Camilla’s eyes soften when she turns her look from Iago to her sister, but she still does not look happy. Iago lets out a cruel laugh at their sulky faces, and Elise sees Leo outright glare at the man.

“The King won’t let you go completely alone, however,” Iago says. Hans approaches the group then, muttering about how difficult it was to find the lady Corrin, and the bats in Elise’s stomach flap their wings harder, her unease growing. Iago introduces the man to Corrin, and Leo leans towards the girl to whisper something to her. Elise cannot hear what he says, but Corrin looks grim after listening.

Corrin and Hans leave together after that for the mission with Iago trailing behind. The siblings watch them leave, each with differing amounts of discomfort about how Corrin will fare. When they are out of sight, Elise turns to Leo before anybody can do anything else.

“Leo, can we talk?” The man’s eyes widen slightly at the intensity of Elise’s request, but he does not deny her.

“Of course, Elise.” She motions for him to follow her with her hand, and she starts dashing to a private room in the castle. Leo keeps up with her at a slower pace, refusing to run and look the fool around the servants. Elise does not see what Xander and Camilla do after that, for she is so focused on getting to talk with Leo that she does not pay them any mind.

 

~

 

Elise is relieved that Leo is following her; he has never denied her requests to speak to him before, but his aloof attitude always worries her that one day he’ll put that distance into action. The uncertain burden of the crown weighs heavy on Leo; Elise knows that much. She herself has never worried much about it because she has always seen Leo as perfectly worthy of the crown. Her brother keeps a stern persona on display to prove that he has the disposition of a king, and although Elise understands why he behaves how he does, she wishes that he would lighten up with her; it is one of the reasons she focuses her teasing on him from time to time. He is the closest sibling to her age, so she feels less awkward with him than with Xander or Camilla and she wants to speak with him as a peer as nobody else can fill that role.

Closing the door behind Leo when they arrive to an empty and private room, Elise turns to him with a stern look – or as stern of a look as her childish face can produce. Leo looks back at her with his ever serious expression, and Elise thinks she needs to start practicing moving her facial features purposefully in the mirror to get better at being taken seriously. Leo sighs.

“I cannot read minds, Elise, no matter how much you think I can. What did you want to talk about?” he asks. Elise bounces on her feet, considering where to start in her inquiries. She has concerns with their father and sister and country and brother, so just picking a starting point is hard enough. She wishes her brain was as organized as Leo’s, but she reminds herself to be grateful with what she is good at; after all, she could be Xander. She pinches herself for thinking such a rude thought. It dawns on her that Leo is still waiting for her to say something, so she blurts out the first thing that comes to mind so that she does not try his patience.

“Father told Corrin that if we have problems with something he does, we should bring it up with him in private. Do you think we could talk to him about Hans and Iago’s actions? Or how we do not agree with his orders involving cruelty and unnecessary violence?”

Leo takes his time to collect his thoughts. Elise appreciates his honesty with her, the way he does not pretend to just know everything right away. She values his opinion more for his transparency with her, and she trusts him to not sugar-coat his beliefs for her like most people do because of her cute appearance. She uses the quiet time for herself as well, to organize her own thoughts.

“I think Father is trying to solidify our trust in him.” Leo begins, and he raises a hand to his chin as he thinks. “We shouldn’t go to him about our concerns until we see what his intentions with Corrin are. Father is not a kind man, and I am worried about how he is going to deal with Corrin’s ideals. His words seem like a ploy for our loyalty for now. We should remain wary.”

Leo is quiet after he finishes speaking, considering his own words. Elise nods her head, knowing that Leo’s explanation makes sense though she wishes he had come to a more positive conclusion. Elise sees Leo bring his hand to his side, evidently satisfied with what he has said, deciding not to add anything else.

“That makes sense,” Elise acknowledges her brother. She tugs at one of her twirls of hair, thinking about where to go from here. Leo waits for her with his arms crossed.

“What do you think Father sent Corrin on that mission for?” Elise says after a few beats of silence.

“To test her, like he said,” Leo admits. “It worries me though. Father did not send even you on such a simple mission. There is likely more to this than meets the eye.”

The bats are fluttering in Elise’s stomach again, and looking at Leo’s neutral expression, she wonders if he has bats in his stomach too. Leo is often distant from everyone, including Elise, so she has difficulty gauging his emotions despite how much time they have spent together. They make eye contact, and Elise thinks she can see a glimmer of worry in her brother’s eyes.

“Are we going to go help Corrin?” Elise asks, already reaching for the door. Their sister is supposed to do this mission alone, but this would not be the first time Elise and Leo have bent Father’s rules. Leo sighs, and Elise knows that it is his version of nodding.

She runs out the door, intent on finding Camilla. Leo, meanwhile, heads toward his room to prepare for the journey.

 

~

 

The wind tosses Elise’s curls all around, slapping her in the face occasionally though the girl does not care for the thrill the ride gives her is more pressing than the sting of the slaps. Camilla holds her tight to her body: two unstoppable sisters taking a wyvern into battle. Leo, meanwhile, rides a horse somewhere beneath them. The fort Corrin was sent to starts to appear in the distance, and Elise hopes she has not run into any trouble despite all their worries.

A strand of Camilla’s purple hair hits Elise’s mouth, and she spits it out as her sister laughs. She sees Camilla tap on Marzia – if Elise is remembering the name of her sister’s personal wyvern correctly– and press down on her scales, and they are swooping downwards, the ground rushing to meet them. Elise lets out a shriek at the speed of travel; she faintly hears Camilla’s laughter fill the air again.

Sweeping her eyes across the field, Elise sees her sister – alive and well – though surrounded by Hoshidan ninjas. They are stalking closer and closer to Corrin though they have not attacked yet. The glint of shuriken catching the light springs Elise into action.

“Get away from my sister!” Elise yells, jumping from the wyvern and knocking out two ninja on her way down – one with her crashing body, the other with her axe.

“Elise?” Corrin shouts, eyes widening in surprised. She readies Ganglari for another fight, energized by her siblings’ appearance. Camilla launches some arrows at Hoshidans who are crawling too close to Corrin for her liking, and Marzia roars in the air. “How did you know we were in trouble?”

“We had a feeling!” Elise laughs as she strikes her axe into a ninja’s ankle. Blood spurts from the wound, already soaking Elise’s sleeves. The enemy ninja are already beginning to retreat, sensing that they are not up against any average Nohrian soldiers. Elise spares a glance at her sister, and sees her staring at the blood covering her hands. Leo rushes into battle at that moment, pushing Corrin out of the way of a flying shuriken.

“You sure have the devil’s luck, sister,” Leo sighs as he steadies Siegfried in his hand. “Do not get distracted during battle.” Corrin nods as she scrambles off the floor, readying herself for fighting once more. Elise sees a ninja – a girl, one she had not seen earlier – run up to one of her comrades; they speak swiftly to each other, and though Elise cannot understand what they say, she can figure out their meaning as she sees them fall back but remain close.

“It appears as though they are waiting for reinforcements,” Leo, having seen the same event as Elise, says to his sisters. Elise nods her head and reaches for Corrin, pulling her away from the heat of battle.

“What should we do?” Elise sees Leo sweep his eyes over the remaining soldiers, and when he turns to look at them, he does not put Siegfried to the side.

“Corrin, go back ahead of us. The condition of the fort has been evaluated, so you can report back now. We’ll take care of the mess here and catch up with you shortly.” Corrin looks ready to protest, but Elise sees her sister glance at her before nodding her head. Corrin waves to a pretty maid and an old man Elise recognizes as Gunter, and they are running back towards the bridge before the ninja can attack again.

The girl looks up at her brother, regal and powerful atop that black horse and adorned in golden armor, and she wonders what he plans to do with this “mess.” Camilla is circling overhead, waiting for instruction as well. The blood on Elise’s hands is starting to get sticky; she hopes they will not dally here for long.

Leo begins a slow retreat, walking back towards the bridge, so Elise follows his lead. She knows what he is doing as he has done this before. The ninja remain in the shadows, watching them. The distance between them grows further and further, and then – there it is – a shuriken flies through the air towards the Nohrians. Leo sends a scorching spell, so hot that Elise thinks for a moment that her hair may have caught on fire, in the general direction of the Hoshidans. Cries of pain fill the air, and the royal children wait to see if anybody else will attempt to pursue them.

Marzia lets out a warning roar, and Elise is certain that Camilla is growing antsy. Her sister has never been one for mercy and peace, instead craving bloodshed like their Father against anyone who slights her. Camilla’s acquiescence with her younger siblings’ plan is mark enough of her love for them, and it soothes the bitter taste that covers Elise’s tongue when she thinks of her sister’s inclination towards violence.

The standoff ends when Leo has had enough of waiting; no more weapons were thrown at them, so they retreat. They travel far enough from the fort so that they can no longer see the forms of the ninja when Leo stops his horse so that Elise can jump on as well. Camilla circles back for a moment to ensure they are not being pursued. Crossing the bridge, they expect to see Corrin – either waiting for them or having walked slow enough for them to catch up. When they do not see their sister at the end of the bridge, Elise feels the bats in her stomach acting up again.

She tilts her body to the side so that she can look up at her brother, and when she sees his calm face, she relaxes and takes a deep breath. If Leo is not worried, then she should not be either. Corrin probably just went home quickly to report to Garon that Hoshidans have control of the fort, Elise thinks to herself.

Everything has been fine, Elise reminds herself. They found Corrin safe and alive. She completed her mission. She is heading home. Elise, Leo, and Camilla are heading home as well, and Xander is waiting for them to bring the good news of Corrin’s success.

Elise takes a deep breath again and smiles for her brother.


	5. Hoshido

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha... hello... long time no see. I totally haven't been spending my time playing heroes and echoes...
> 
> I'm sorry for the wait! Please enjoy.

When Corrin wakes up, it is to a pounding in her head and dizziness in thought. Colors and brilliant lights flash through her mind – a fall, a travel, a dragon – and then a wave of nausea hits and her hands are grasping at her hair. She remembers a world that can’t possibly be real, and her brain finally catches up to the present.

Hans, that bastard. He killed Gunter and then? She recalls an explosion – no, a force; from what? – and there is a pain in the center of her forehead when she remembers that it was her sword that hurled her towards an abyss. Then, Lilith, her servant, her dragon, her little bird, but all of that couldn’t have really happened, could it? Corrin’s mind feels like a whirlwind is destroying its contents, and she grasps harder at her hair, pulls it, feels how her nails scratch her scalp. There is a thickness blocking her throat and dread gripping her chest, but is she to believe this betrayal so quickly? Certainly, her father would not hurt her like this. She must have been dreaming.

“Come on, _princess_ ,” she hears a voice growl, and Corrin looks up quickly, realizing she is not somewhere she recognizes. “I didn’t hit you _that_ hard.”

She is in a hut of some kind, walls and floor an earthy brown, and a fire, surrounded by black stones of all different shapes and sizes, blazes in the center of the little building. Corrin’s heart beats fast as her gaze darts all around: the floors are bare; there is something in the corner, but she cannot quite make out what it is; farther from that object, she recognizes dark skin and light hair, a fierce expression on her face: Rinkah. Oh, and the heat! It is unbearable in this moment: the wrongness of it. Corrin had only ever woken up to a chill morning or a blast of frozen wind, snowflakes kissing her skin.

“Hey,” Rinkah is crouching in front of her now, reaching towards Corrin, and the girl jumps back before the warrior can lay a hand on her. She realizes she is still grasping at her head, and she puts her arms down to her sides despite the protests of her headache as she stands up.

“Damn, I didn’t cause any brain damage, did I?” Rinkah has a gleam in her eye as she speaks though her face betrays nothing less than distaste.

“Rinkah, correct?” Corrin states slowly, watching where she steps, so to speak. “Of the Flame Tribe?”

“You remember,” Rinkah’s voice almost sounds like she is disappointed, and the gleam in her eye disappears as she watches Corrin start moving and speaking elegantly. She wishes me injury, Corrin thinks, and the thought stings at her in an odd way she never expected. Felicia and her sweet words grip the girl’s mind, and she wonders with concealed panic as to where her maid has gone in the chaos of everything that has happened.

The woman in front of her seems to not notice the worry coursing through her body, and Rinkah sends a scowl in her direction before looking out the door near her. Corrin sees her look around and then nod, and she turns her attention back towards her.

“I’m handing you over to the Hoshidan authorities,” Rinkah says simply. Corrin remembers her hatred the last time she saw her, the way she spat at her and wished for her death, and a coldness wraps around her throat.

“Am I to be executed?” A glare and snort from the woman surprises Corrin in how brash it is, and Corrin feels as though there is a deep anger simmering in the muscular body before her.

“Change of plans. Something’s come up.” Rinkah looks out the door again, getting impatient with whatever she is waiting for. Whatever has come up has certainly not earned Rinkah’s approval, and though Corrin does not know what event or information she is referring to, she is certainly grateful to it for delaying her death. She thinks of her family when Rinkah is turned away from her, and she wonders if they are planning a rescue, if they even know she is gone.

A wave of nausea catches her off-guard when a traitorous thought slips into her mind, and she nearly vomits into her opens palms. She pushes the burn in her throat down, and when Rinkah looks at her again, she hopes her face does not reveal her terror. The image of Ganglari glowing fiercely, throwing her towards blackness and accelerating her fall, fills her vision; was it on purpose?

No, it can’t be, she thinks, and her musings are broken when Rinkah roughly grabs her arm and pushes her towards the door. Her heart beats faster in the realization of how unaware she is of her surroundings, and she follows where the woman’s rough hands guide her. There is no use in resistance here, not now. Not without a weapon.

She is surprised to see the ninja from Castle Krankenburg in front of her, and even more shocked when Rinkah walks back into the hut and brings out Ganglari. The woman passes it to the ninja, and after some moments of thought, the man kneels before Corrin and presents the sword to her.

“Kaze!” Rinkah hisses, evidently disapproving of his actions. Corrin stands where she is, neither moving to take the sword nor inching away. Suspicion creeps into her mind, and she finds herself watching this ninja carefully. What is he doing?

“She refused to kill us when she was ordered to,” Kaze responds to Rinkah first though he keeps his gaze focused on the Nohrian princess. “I highly doubt she would do it of her own volition.”

Corrin hears Rinkah grumble about a stupid gamble of some kind, but her attention is focused on the ninja in front of her. She has still not taken the sword held before her for worry of a trap of some kind. She cautions a look around them, taking her eyes away from the ninja for a moment, and she thinks they must be in the Flame Tribe. The people here have the same features as Rinkah: dark skin with light hair, many with some sort of charms and decorations in their hair, and certainly many have the rugged appearance of trained warriors. She spots two children watching her from a nearby hut, and when they see her glance fall upon them, they scurry inside to the darkness where they cannot be seen.

The enemy surrounds her here; even if she does take this weapon, she cannot possibly win in a fight to escape. Something in her expression must have betrayed this realization in her, for when she glances at Kaze once more, there is a small smile on his lips, seemingly attempting to be a calm presence.

“I am glad you are here with us, Princess Corrin.” Kaze’s voice is softer than she thought it would be, and she feels herself trusting him a bit more than she probably should. She takes Ganglari from his hands though she reminds herself to stay wary.

“And why would that be?” She asks. Everything feels wrong here. She should not be receiving this much respect, she knows that much. Prisoners of war have no rights, even royal ones. Any kindness she has ever read about has only been due to human respect for common human decency, not any sort of legal bindings. Hoshido prides itself on its honor and bountifulness according to what Corrin has heard, but surely even they would not treat their prisoners so kindly.

“You do not know?” Kaze’s confusion sounds genuine; his eyebrows furrow for some moments of time as he thinks, and when Corrin does not show any signs of understanding what is going on, he sighs as though realizing something. He glances to Rinkah, and they apparently share some sort of unspoken understanding as he then turns back to Corrin and holds his hand out to her.

“Come with us. We will explain when we reach the capital.”

“Why not now?” Corrin has not taken his hand though she longs to trust him. She hopes he will be a friend in this unfamiliar and hostile territory, but even Corrin understands that it would be foolish to accept everything he says so easily. He is likely acting so kindly to earn her trust for some plan she is not privy to. Still, she cannot help what she wishes for.

“I doubt you would believe us if we told you now,” Kaze says, and still he does not retract his hand. Rinkah looks disgusted at this gesture: a hand outstretched for peace, for understanding, with someone from a family who wants them and their nation dead. She scoffs at the ninja and starts walking towards the border of the Tribe’s lands.

Corrin looks between Rinkah’s retreating form and Kaze’s hand. She is alone here; she does not know where she is; she does not know if her family is coming for her. She tries to call up the maps she studied in the fortress, looking for Flame Tribe territory - a name or a border. Her mind calls up shifting lines, blotted out letters, question marks filling empty portions of paper. Nohr’s mapmakers have not had the chance to draw the lands within Hoshido for far too long, and tribal territories are always wont to change under different political atmospheres and times, sometimes even erased entirely for years at a time.

She could be anywhere in the heart of Hoshido, alone for the first time all her life and surrounded by those she has been taught to fear and fight. Kaze’s outstretched hand is so tempting, so comforting, even when she knows she cannot trust it, not fully.

Still, Corrin grasps the ninja’s hand. It is warm and, though covered in callouses, gentle too. It reminds her of Camilla’s hands, and her heart calms down for the first time since she woke up today.

Corrin follows this Hoshidan ninja, hoping that he will not stab her when she stops watching him.

 

~

 

Corrin has never seen this many bright colors in her life, let alone in one place at one time. The travel to the capital was a quiet one, and the chatter that fills Corrin’s ears once they enter the city is almost too much. There are shouting traders and laughing children and the clatter and hum of everyday life; a pain starts to build above the Nohrian princess’s right eyebrow, not exactly centered like the headaches she normally gets when she becomes sick.

She notices Kaze looking at her in concern when she reaches a hand up to massage her temples, and she waves him away. Her family used to remark about her amazing hearing whenever she would clumsily ask about something they were whispering about, and she had taken pride in her talented senses, using it to listen to the gossiping servants and her secretive siblings whenever they visited. She considers for the first time that perhaps her ability is more of a weakness than a strength outside of those dark walls of the fortress. She rubs her fingers against the building pain in her head; the sounds of the capital are only getting louder. Tears build in her eyes as well, and Corrin cannot help but feel like a mess in this place. The colors of Hoshido are so bright; she used to think Elise was the light of the sun in Nohr, but it saddens her to think that even her sister will never appear as vibrant now that her eyes have been assaulted by the mere fabrics in this country.

Her senses cannot process everything here. It is too bright, too loud. Corrin tries to distract herself with her thoughts as she wipes at her eyes and tries to follow her escorts. Her fingers on her head are not helping, and she tries to imagine something familiar to ground herself. A shout near her nearly makes Corrin jump, and she curses her sensitive ears.

Felicia used to comment on her odd ears when Corrin asked the maid to help her do something with her hair; her fingers would linger for a second too long on the unusual points of the princess’s ears when she would tuck a strand of silver hair behind them. Corrin always wondered why her maid would fixate on something so strange: they are simply ears after all, nothing more, and everyone’s body looks different. Now, however, Corrin thinks there must be something wrong with herself. Surely it is not common to experience this level of discomfort when entering new surroundings. She can hardly focus on what she is seeing.

Perhaps it is not something wrong with myself, she considers for a moment. After all, she has hardly ever left the fortress, and Nohr does not see much sunshine. She is simply not used to the light and sounds, she convinces herself. Everyone else has had the chance to acclimate themselves, even Nohrians in what limited brightness they get exposed to. She just needs to play catch up.

She feels a hand touch her shoulder, and if it were not for the overstimulation she was experiencing, she would have jumped on the man and attacked immediately. It takes her some seconds longer to register the feeling, and in that time she notices that it is Kaze near her. He pushes gently on her shoulder, and it takes Corrin another few beats of time to realize what he is doing: he is guiding her, making sure she does not stray.

Corrin presses her nails into her scalp, harder and harder until she fears she may break skin, and then puts her hands to her side and tries to stand tall. She is revealing too much to her captors; they should not notice her discomfort this easily. The ninja does not take away his hand immediately, but when they reach the steps of a brilliant, glittering palace, he steps away from her and walks forward, leading the way.

Though Kaze is only a few feet away, Corrin feels alone again. The feeling is strange: both heavy and empty, it is a weight in her chest that makes her ache for her family. She closes her eyes and stands still to get a hold of herself. Breathe in, breathe out. Focus, focus, focus. She cannot be this weak in the palm of the enemy. She is a Nohrian princess, not a servant, not a commoner, not any old noble. She repeats the thoughts to herself once, twice, three times. The air is calmer here; there is less noise around this palace, and she finds her mind responding in kind.

Red pupils peek out from the darkness provided by eyelids, and the bright colors seem less harsh to Corrin. She can stand looking at them now, and her headache is merely a dull throb at this point. A gentle breeze caresses her face, and she can open her eyes more, no longer squinting. The wind carries a flurry of petals to her, laying one on her cheek. Plucking it from her face, Corrin is shocked to feel the softness of the thing and even more to see the pinkness of it. She fingers the petal with a sense of awe; it does not crunch or break, and it tears like a fragile fabric when she is too rough with it.

Voices drift to her from the wind as well, and Corrin snaps to attention, dropping the petal, remembering that she is in the Hoshidan capital. She almost pinches herself for managing to forget herself in such a dangerous situation, but then she is struck dumb yet again when she finally manages to take in her surroundings. The castle is far too colorful for her to take in fully just yet, though her attention has been caught by the trees surrounding this place. They are flowering and pink, so very pink, and she wonders if they are really trees at all for Corrin has never seen delicate flowers growing at the ends of branches.

Elise would adore these pink things, Corrin thinks, and then she turns her head towards the voices she heard. Kaze is there, and he is speaking to a man in red armor so bright even fresh blood could not compete with it. There is so much shine to this place; even the men glitter here.

Corrin looks at this new man’s face and notices that he is watching her. His expression is blank, though carefully so; Corrin can see a shine in his eyes betraying his curiosity and interest. There is a nagging thought at the back of her mind that she has met this man before, that she knows him. The thought is ridiculous, however, as Corrin is certain she would never forget such an imposing man. Even without the armor, the man has a powerful stance, and his frame implies great strength in his muscles. His hair is something else entirely; the mane seems to defy gravity, and despite everything, Corrin finds herself wanting to touch it. Is there something in it that makes it so wild? Or can Hoshidan hair naturally form into such odd spikes? Corrin pinches the skin of her hand to focus again, and when she pays attention again, she hears Kaze refer to the man as Lord Ryoma.

“Lord?” She repeats his words in her surprise, and the sound of her voice draws everybody’s gaze to her. Rinkah, having fallen back on the walk towards the castle in a desire to distance herself from the party, walks past the princess now to make her presence known.

“Yes – Lord Ryoma, high prince of Hoshido.” Rinkah’s answer to her implied question shocks Corrin more than it should; looking at the man again, she thinks his status should have been obvious. The extravagant armor, the aura of power, the palace they are currently at: it seems like he couldn’t be anything less than a prince.

Why is she being brought before a prince of Hoshido? Rinkah’s displeased expression and earlier behavior supports the idea that she will not be executed, but then what could this be? A hostage situation? Perhaps the Hoshidan royalty has decided Corrin is more useful alive than dead since she is a princess. The dread in her chest that has been slowly fading away flares back; she does not think Nohr has the resources to provide Hoshido with any great demands besides a call for peace, and surely the royalty here is not stupid enough to think that Garon would stem his aggressions for one captured girl.

Before Corrin’s thoughts could worry her any more, the man Kaze was speaking to – Ryoma was his name, if Corrin remembers correctly, and again she feels a strange familiarity with the way she recalls the name – beckons them to enter the palace. Corrin’s two escorts follow the man inside, and with nowhere else to go in this strange land, she follows as well.

They enter what Corrin can only assume is the throne room, judging by the tall, colorful seat centered against the back wall, and, yet again, she notices just how bright the room is. Must Hoshidans really use so much white and so many vibrant colors? It must be a military tactic, Corrin decides as she rubs at her eyes swiftly, trying to avoid calling attention to herself. They let themselves acclimate to this light and then blind their enemies.

She thinks Leo would laugh at her if he could read her mind right now, and she hopes she will see him again.

The brightness has distracted her once again, and it takes her a moment longer than it should to notice the woman approaching her from the throne.

“Ryoma,” the woman addresses the man standing next to her now, but she keeps her eyes focused on Corrin. She reaches her hand towards the princess, and Corrin instinctively takes a step back. “Is it really her?”

The first thought that registers in Corrin’s mind is this: this woman is very pretty. The second is: who the hell is this and what is she doing. Corrin’s body shifts to a defensive stance, but the woman does not appear aggressive even as she approaches the princess. Corrin considers her options as the lady gets closer and closer: she is surrounded by Hoshidans so attack is not an option; she is in the capital of Hoshido so escape would be nigh impossible; she has no idea what is happening or what will happen, but as a princess of Nohr she cannot let her enemy see her panic or fear.

The woman envelopes Corrin in a hug, and her whole body stiffens immediately. She is no stranger to hugs – being the sister of Camilla and Elise assures that – so she knows that her awkward stance and unyielding limbs must be difficult to embrace, but the woman does not let go.

“Oh Corrin, I’ve missed you so much,” the woman says as she brings her hand up to touch Corrin’s face, her hair, the black ribbon tied in the strands. She seems to almost be speaking to herself as she looks at the girl in front of her in wonder, and when she whispers “my child,” Corrin is more confused than frightened.

“What?” Corrin manages to voice at least this much of her thoughts, and when the woman pulls back from the hug, she almost feels bad. Corrin does not know why the woman has gone from having an expression of wonder to one of sadness, though she thinks maybe her refusal to return the hug and her question have something to do with it.

“Do you not remember?” The woman in front of her asks, and when Corrin only stares at her with what she thinks must certainly be wide eyes and a dumbfounded stare, the lady puts her hand up to her mouth, covering half her face. Ryoma comes to her side, and Corrin sees that his own expression is still that careful blankness from earlier. The woman seems overcome with emotion, and so Ryoma speaks for her.

“You are her daughter, Corrin,” he says, and the words do not register in the girl’s mind for several moments. When Corrin finally comprehends the concept of what the man is saying, a detached feeling of disbelief fills her. She looks over at the woman, her eyes closed now, apparently in pain, and examines her with a critical eye, searching for proof to contradict what the Hoshidan has said.

Their hair: Corrin’s is silver, and this woman’s is a dark black. Their ears: Corrin’s are oddly pointed, and this woman’s are normally rounded. Their eyes: Corrin’s are red, and this woman’s are brown. He must be lying then. They are no more alike than Corrin is with her Nohrian siblings. Those woman’s eyes though - Corrin looks again, and sees her own eyes reflected back at her, in their shape and long lashes. Their hair is the same kind: long and straight. Corrin stops looking at her. They cannot be related.

“You lie,” Corrin says simply. She thinks this is a strange strategy for the enemy to employ – making her believe she is actually from their side – but perhaps its strangeness is what would make it effective. If someone fell for this, they would certainly be confused out of their mind and be neutralized as a threat. Corrin resolves to not become this person. When Ryoma beings to insist that what he says is the truth, she puts up her hand to stop him. Anger begins to simmer in her chest. How stupid do these Hoshidans they she is?

“I don’t even look like this woman,” she says. Ryoma’s face finally shifts from his previously held neutrality; he looks angry, and when he speaks, his voice is sharper and faster than before.

“‘This woman’ is the Queen,” his voice holds a warning in it, and Corrin’s eyes widen at this revelation. The woman – the Queen – puts her hand on Ryoma’s arm, calming him and holding him back with her gentle touch. The man reels in his anger in response, but he continues speaking.

“You are more her daughter than those Nohrians’ sister. If you want to talk appearances then just look at –”

“King Garon is my father!” Corrin interrupts. Ryoma has hit a sore spot though he does not know it, and Corrin is certainly not going to fill him in on the details of royal Nohrian family drama. “My siblings are my siblings; I have lived with them for years. They are my family. I know that much, and I know nothing of you.”

The Queen presses her hand again Ryoma’s arm, silencing him with that wordless plea, and silence fills the air after Corrin’s statement. The young princess sees pain in the woman’s expression and anger in the prince’s, and her heart flutters. Leo would scold her for being so unwise if he could see her right now. How stupid could she be to upset her captors?

As time ticks on, her heart beats faster, and she hopes that there are no outward signs of her panic. The Queen sighs – Corrin’s heart stops for a beat – and she looks away, towards her throne.

“I see…” the woman begins. “I was naïve to think that you would welcome this revelation with open arms. You must be confused.”

She stops speaking, evidently collecting her thoughts. Ryoma still stands next to her, glaring at Corrin, and despite that anger, the princess feels like he isn’t directing his rage at her personally but at her current behavior; the anger is clearly there in his gaze, but vitriol isn’t.

“Kaze,” the Queen turns to look at the ninja, waiting in the corner of the room. “Please take Corrin to her room. I will explain everything there soon.” The last part of her statement she directs at the princess.

The silence in the room after this command is oppressive, and everyone’s stares weigh down on Corrin. She looks around once more – did she perhaps not notice a chance of escape earlier? – but arrives at her previous conclusions. She has nowhere to go.

Kaze is waiting for her, and the Queen and high prince of Hoshido are leaving the throne room. As she mutters a short prayer to the dusk dragon for her safety, Corrin walks up to the ninja she has come to put a tiny bit of trust in and follows where he guides her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe.... Corrin's dragon side shall be a Thing in this fic...
> 
> Grammar's a bit wonky in this chapter because I was going for that disoriented effect, but I'll probably go back and tidy up a couple of paragraphs later. I've already kept you all waiting for so long though so I felt bad keeping this chapter back to continue editing it. This chapter was also going to be longer and include Mikoto talking to Corrin one on one but dang it! This chapter just needs to be released already! I need to move on!
> 
> Again, so sorry for the wait. I got a job and some things are working out for me in college, so my free time has been cut down a lot. I'm going to try to get into a writing schedule!


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